


Everything Comes Back Around

by CJ_Ackerman17



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Abused Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Angry Eren Yeager, Bottom Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), College Student Eren Yeager, Cute Eren Yeager, Dominant Eren Yeager, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, French-Speaking Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), German Eren Yeager, Good Uncle Kenny Ackerman, Hange Zoë & Levi Are Best Friends, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Eren Yeager, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) Swears, Light BDSM, M/M, Mikasa Ackerman & Eren Yeager Are Siblings, Overprotective Eren Yeager, Past Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Past Sexual Abuse, Power Bottom Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Protective Eren Yeager, Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Sad Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Submissive Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Top Eren Yeager, Top Jean Kirstein, Underage - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:27:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 40
Words: 258,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23815375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJ_Ackerman17/pseuds/CJ_Ackerman17
Summary: If you would've asked me years ago if my life would've turned out like this, I would've laughed while rolling you a joint with the weed I made you buy for me. But now, look at me, I have a hot boyfriend named Eren and my abusive ex is somewhere in the wind, and I couldn't care less.Hi, my name is Levi Ackerman, ex drug dealer and gang member with a problematic past just trying to survive after the bullshit I've been through, but everything doesn't end up like you want it too. Like they always say, everything comes back around and bites you in the ass.Here's my story.TW: drug/alcohol use, mention of suicide, self harm in various methods, heavy gore and murder. if you are easily triggered, please do not read this book. (only recommended for ages 18+)story changes from 1st person pov to 3rd because its easier to write for me lmao.My first fic on here so pls be kind 😭
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Erwin Smith, Levi/Eren Yeager, Levi/Erwin Smith, Levi/Jean Kirstein, Mikasa Ackerman/Annie Leonhart, Moblit Berner/Hange Zoë
Comments: 58
Kudos: 203





	1. How To Run From The Mess You've Made

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first Attack On Titan fanfiction ever and I'm so excited to write it. This is my first book on ao3, I was previously writing on Wattpad and Quotev writing larry stylinson and destiel books, and now I wanna try this fandom. Enjoy!
> 
> Please be kind 🥺✋🏻
> 
> ps. i do not own any attack on titan characters, all credit goes to the creators.

_**Levi** _

Nobody ever tells you how bad you could possibly end up once you're born into this fucked up world. Life doesn't come with some instruction manual telling you how to be successful, well, at least not in my case. I wish I had one though, so I didn't have to struggle with everything I went through to get to where I am today. Maybe it could've saved me the trouble of my past boyfriend, or maybe helped me with the trauma of never having a mom or dad, just some drunk uncle who is preparing to go to rehab and leaving me home to deal with his messes that he's made. Kenny's been good to me though, the only parental figure I've ever had. I remember the day I was brought here by CPS, it was a whole change from where I lived, so I guess it was good for the both of us. 

_"Hi there munchkin, how are ya? My name is Kenny, I'm Kutchels brother, which makes me you're uncle. You understand you're going to be living with me now, yes?"_

_I was seven years old at the time, my long black hair hanging in my face as I looked up at this man, I had never met him before. He is the one who stopped by my house and found me laying next to my dead mother, so he had to be my only family left from what I understood. "yes sir" I whispered quietly._

_"No need for the formalities, just call me Kenny. Come on in, kid. I got breakfast ready for ya, and we can catch a movie and get some grub later, hows that sound?"_

_"o-okay"_

Kenny was not that bad, he had rules around the house I had to follow, but other than that, living with him was okay. He really went off the rails when I turned eleven. I had found a needle full of heroin right before a visit from CPS and he made me help him hide it. After the visit, he told me about what it was and cried on my shoulder, constantly apologizing about it. I had told him it was okay, but little did we both know what would happen after that day. That was the first time I had seen drugs, and it certainly would not be my last. 

I'm eighteen now and a lot has changed in the past seven years, I'm not the same little kid I used to be. I'm battered and bruised, scarred and dented, but I am a survivor. A lot of people can't say they survived what I endured, and I'm proud of that. Nobody can take that away from me, my pride is my own. 

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I rolled my eyes when I saw it was Hange's contact, she was the first friend I've made since I've switched high schools and man, she was a handful. I answered it, "hey Hange, whats up?"

_"Mr. Ackerman, I do believe we were scheduled to open our letters from Maria University! Did yours come in?"_

"Relax four eyes, I'm just now getting home. I'm walking in the door now" I said as I unlocked my front door, Kenny wasn't home as usual, so I turned right back around and walked to my mailbox. 

_"Right, I'm excited Levi, we might finally be getting out of this town, and together!"_

I opened the mail box and pulled out a couple bills I needed to give to Kenny, but one of them stuck out. It was a letter from Maria University, "I um, I got a letter from the university."

_"Great! Meet me at the diner on fifth street! Oh Levi, I'm so excited!"_

"Alright you crazy ass, I'll be there in twenty, I think Erwin is working so we can get free coffee."

" _See you there, squirt"_

I smiled slightly and hung up the phone, putting it in my pocket and carrying the letter to my car. I owned a 2013 black toyota corolla that I earned after a rough time back at my other school, with the help of Kenny I bought this car with my own hard earned cash. I got in and started it, backing out of my driveway and making my way towards the diner, letter tight in my hand.

When I arrived I saw Hange's little VW bug in parked and if I squinted, I saw her big mop of hair inside the diner. I parked next to her car and got out, I saw Erwins car parked a couple spots down. _I have to end that soon anyway,_ I thought to myself. With a heavy breath, I squared my shoulders and tilted my chin up high and walked into the diner, seeing Hange sitting on a stool by the window, her own letter in her hands. The suns glare on her glasses was fairly bright, you could spot her from anywhere. I walked over to her and sat down in the open spot next to her, "hey"

She smiled at me, "hey! Ready to open our letters and find out if we get to get out of this town?"

"Oh you know it" I said and set my letter down on the table, I then turned to see Erwin walking up to the both of us. He took a seat next to me and gave his classic sweet smile, which I had returned. "Hey there stranger" I greeted.

"Well hello to you too" Erwin smiled, "are those you guys' acceptance letters?"

"So you automatically think that we got accepted?" Hange butted in, a smile on her face. 

"I wouldn't expect nothing less, you two are smart. If you don't get in that's a sign of the apocalypse" He commented. 

I rolled his eyes, "dude, your future isn't riding on an acceptance letter to a college that only accepts so many kids every semester. You're going to a police academy, doesn't everyone finish there?" 

"Once I graduate, maybe I'll arrest you for that foul mouth of yours"

"oh shut up"

"Jeez, the amount of snark comments between you two is overwhelming, are we going to open these letters or not?" Hange interrupted their bickering.

"Right.." I got quiet, letting out a small breath I didn't know I was holding. This letter was it, this was my future. My chance to forever get away from _them,_ from _him._

"On three" Hange smiled.

"one"

"two"

"three"

Both Hange and I tore the envelope open and both of us opened our letter, each of us taking our own time. 

_Dear Levi Ackerman,_

_Thank you for your interest in The University of Maria, we send you this letter to happily inform you that your admission essay was excellent and exceeded most students who have been at this university for years. Congratulations Mr. Ackerman, you have been accepted to the University of Maria for a full ride in our excelled writers composition program with your selected minor in psychology. Please follow this link to set up your own account on Marie.edy to get on contact with your new advisor, can't wait to see you for our fall semester._

- _Maria University_

"I..I'm going.. for both programs.." I couldn't believe it, I did it. 

"Me too" Hange said, almost sounding as shocked as I was. "Bio-chemical engineering with a minor in biology..and possibly an option for grad school.."

"I told both of you that you would make it in! Congrate guys" Erwin ruffled my hair, and I glared at him in return. He rolled his eyes and kissed my forehead, causing me to smile softly. "Congrats, dinner is on me, hows burgers sound?"

Hange and I spoke at the same time, "awesome"

After we ate at the diner I waved goodbye to Erwin and Hange, going to my car and driving back home. I opened the garage and parked my car, shutting the garage and heading inside, closing the door softly behind me. I knew Kenny was home, I saw his truck in the garage. "Hey Kenny!" I called out, "you awake?"

"In here, kid!" Came his voice. I followed his voice into the living room, shrugging off my leather jacket and tossing it on the couch. He was sipping a bear while watching tv, he turned and smiled at me, "hey kid, what'cha got there"

"My one way ticket out of here" I grumbled, tossing he letter to Kenny, who frowned as he caught it. When he read the letter I couldn't tell what he was feeling, he was always good at hiding his emotions. Kenny and I haven;t been separated since I was seven, we've literally gone through hell together when I was in some tough shit a couple months ago with my ex. The most we've been parted was maybe two days? I don't know honestly, but we depended on each other since those times he's saved me, and besides the two of us, we didn't have anyone else. It was always Kenny and Levi Ackerman, you couldn't see one without the other one. 

He stood up then, walking over to me. He was about a foot taller than I was, so I had to look up at him but I was shocked to see Kenny's eyes misty and a small smile ghosted his face. "c'mere, munchkin" he whispered, his voice raspy. He opened his arms and although I hated physical affection and Kenny knew that, I leaned into his touch and hugged him. I felt him rest his chin on top of my head, "I'm proud of you, you made it with a full ride, not a lot of kids can say that."

I let out a wet chuckle, holding my tears back. "I try"

"You're such a smart kid" he tightened his arms around me, "you deserve to leave this town and make something of your life, this place has done nothing but bring you down. Jean, Isabele, Furlan.. you deserve something good" he pulled away and knelt down so he was eye level with me, hands on my shoulders. He looked... happy? "I'm so proud of you, I'm so glad I raised you into the man I know today. You're going to kick ass at Maria university, you're gonna write those damn papers, maybe write a book or something , you have the talent."

Keeping tears at bay was a harder job than I thought, "thank you, kenny"

"No Levi, thank you" he said and pulled me back into his arms, "thank you."

I'm getting my life back, and nobody can take that away from me, I've earned this. 

Next stop, Maria University.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave kudos <3 it means a lot :)


	2. Embrace For Impact

_**Levi** _

_**(a month later)** _

_"Levi? You're more than anyone has made you out to be, you're a softy under that bad attitude, and that's why I like you so much. Will you please give me a chance?"_

_Erwin and I were at a party, I was high off my mind but sober enough to understand what the blonde teen in front of me was saying. I ran my fingers through my greasy hair and leaned mt head back against the couch, the smell of weed and whiskey soared through the room, all you could hear was music and all you could see were the strobe lights and dancing bodies around us. I opened my eyes, which had to be red by now and half way shut. I blinked slowly, he was handsome, he wasn't like Jean, at least from what I knew. This was Erwin Smith, Valedictorian and football quarterback. And here I was, Levi Ackerman, the new kid, previous gang leader and drug dealer. Sounds like a perfect love story, right?_

_"I don't know" I smiled lazily, truth is, I found him attractive, the old me would've fucked him and left, but maybe I deserved another chance at love, maybe its with this blonde bimbo. "should I?"_

_He smirked, "you're a little party animal"_

_I quirked an eyebrow, "and you follow the rules too much. Be reckless, break something, steal a traffic cone, snort coke off my ass cheek, I don't really care-"_

_The next thing I knew, a hand cupped my jaw and pulled my in close, my movements were slow due to my high but lips pressed against mine. Erwin was kissing me, and want to know what I did back? I kissed him, forgetting all about Jean, about everything. I deserved that, at least._

That had been four months ago, It was my first week at my new high school after my uncle made me transfer. Erwin and Hange were the first two people I met due to being placed in all the advanced placement classes. I quickly became friends with them and for once I actually felt content, like I didn't have to watch my back. 

I took a shaky breath as I stood in front of Erwins front porch. I couldn't do this, but I had too. Now more than ever was a time for me to be selfish, I need to focus on myself. I have to do this, it won't hurt him too bad, right?We can still stay friends.. right?

"oh, who am I kidding" I rolled my eyes, "I'm not a fucking softie, I can do this" and with no regrets, I knocked on the door. 

Erwins mom answered the door, "well hey there Levi, um, Erwin has a friend over right now, they're upstairs in his room right now studying for some chemistry quiz"

"Thats okay, I'm just passing by. Nice to see you Mrs. Smith" I smiled politely at her and walked upstairs towards Erwins room. I didnt bother knocking, just opened the door and my eyes widened slightly at the scene in front of me. There was Erwin, sitting on his chair, leaning awfully close to one of his friends Armin, their lips almost touching. I sighed in relief, okay, now this wouldn't be as hard to do. 

Erwin looked up and his eyes widened when he saw me, "Levi, this isn't what it looks like-"

"Save it, I came to break up with you anyways. This just makes it easier"

"Really?"

"Yeah.." I gave Armin a small nod, "look, I have to start doing things for me and right now.. I have to focus on that, not on anyone or anything else. I have to worry about college and work a summer job, so.. this is it."

"I'm glad you said something, I had a feeling this would not work" Erwin said. 

"So it's a truce?" I asked with a small smile.

"Truce, be safe Levi"

"You too Erwin, see you later" I said, turning around and shutting the door behind me. 

Well, that easier than I thought it would be. 

_**months later, august** _

Graduation passed by quickly, I had my grad party and Kenny surprisingly stayed sober. This summer passed by quickly too, considering all I did was work with barely any breaks. Even if I had a full ride to Maria University, I still wanted to have some extra money in my pocket. I ended up getting a job with Erwin at the diner, which wasn't really awkward at all. Him and I were better off as friends, anyway. When August rolled around I was eager to leave home, and I knew Kenny could tell. 

Right now I was in my room, packing my things. I started my classes two weeks from now, Hange and I leave for Maria University today. We're driving in my car since she doesn't want to take hers, we can get hers some other time when we come back here. I looked around my room, it looked so bare with most of my belongings in my suitcases and bags. I picked up one of my journals that I started writing in when I met Jean, and I sighed softly when I opened the back cover, digging in and finding the flash drive I left in there. I held it for a second, all I had to do was turn this in, but if I did that.. I would be thrown in jail. But then again, so would he..

I sighed and tucked the journal at the bottom of my suitcase, nobody can ever find this thing, its gotta go with me wherever I go. I stood back up, holding my suit cases. This is it, I'm finally out of this shitty town. I can finally go and leave all of this shit behind. I walked out of my room and shut the door, a small smile on my face. I can do this. 

Kenny met me at the bottom of the stairs, Hange standing by the front door, her suitcases must be packed in the car because she's not holding any. "Ready to go, Levi?"

"Yeah" I smiled, "Can I uh.. have a moment with Kenny?" I smiled, tossing her my keys to my car.

She smiled and nodded, yelling as she made her way out of the house and to my car "of course, see you around Kenny!" 

Kenny laughed and nodded, "Bye hange, dont blow anything up!" he called out and looked down at me. "Look at you, my little man, finally grown up and going to college. You're the first Ackerman to do that, ya know?"

"Really?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Mom never went?"

"Nope" he responded, "you're the first, which is a great accomplishment, Levi. Your mom would be so proud of you, so so proud of you"

My cheeks reddened and I rubbed the back of my neck, "okay Kenny, you can stop now... I'll be back for thanksgiving and Christmas and all the other holidays, and I'll be back for summer. I'll still see you."

"I know I just.. Go and make this family proud, whats left of it, yeah?"

I smiled and pulled him into a hug, his arms tight around me. "You know it."

He sighed and rested his chin on my head, "oh, and Levi?"

"yes?"

"Promise me.. promise me you'll stay clean from the drugs?"

I nodded against his chest, a firm look on my face. "yes sir"

"Good" Kenny smiled and pulled away from me, I could see how proud he was of me just by the smile on his face. He patted my shoulder, "knock 'em dead kiddo, text me when you get there so I know you made it safe, alright?"

Small tears welled up in my eyes, I didn't want to leave him, but I had too. He's been the only person whos cared about my well being for years, and now I'm leaving him. "I love you" I mumbled. 

Kenny ruffled my hair, a watery smile coating his face. "Get out of here before I cry, you little brat"

I laughed and grabbed a hold of my suit cases, opening the door. "Take care of yourself Kenny"

"You too, Goodbye Levi"

"Goodbye Kenny" I smiled and walked out, shutting the door behind me. I saw Hange already sitting in the passengers seat of my car, her stuff must be in the trunk. I opened the back door and shoved my stuff in the back seat, making sure nothing would fall and break on our way there. It was about a eight hour drive, six hours if we decided to take the train but I'm too much of a clean person for that. After fitting all my stuff in the back seat I went around to the other side and opened the drivers side door, getting in and groaning when Hange was playing her usual weird music shit. 

"Oh shut up Levi, you love my music"

"I love the silence more"

"Oh pish posh, you love me!"

"... This is going to be a long drive, huh?"

"Oh yes! You have No Idea whats coming!"

I almost dead panned, but I composed myself and backed out of my driveway, waving to Kenny who was standing by the screen door, and with one last look at the house, I drove off. Onto a new life. Finally.

_ **Eren** _

"Mikasa, for the love of God, its not a bad thing we're not sharing a dorm, girls and boys can't be in the same dorm for a reason." I explained to her as he finally arrived to Maria University. "It's divided by not only boys and girls but majors, our housing buildings are right next to each other"

She frowned, "I'm not good at making friends"

"You made friends with us pretty quick" Connie butted his head in between the seats.

Mikasa smacked him in the head, "because you wouldn't leave us alone you idiot, you practically begged to sit with us at lunch in high school."

"Okay, well Mikasa, I do remember you begging me to come to bed last night?" Annie's voice came from the back seat.

The black hair girls face burned red and she huffed, turning away from her girlfriend while Connie and I laughed. "Alright alright, let's get this shit done. Everyone get your shit out of my car and sign in, we'll see each other tomorrow at orientation."

We all proceeded to grab all our things and waved as we went in different directions. Mikasa and Annie went to the criminal and public safety building while Connie and I went to the academics building. I was majoring in math whilst Connie was majoring in psychology. Connie and I walked into our housing and up to the front desk, standing behind a fairly short man with black hair and had an undercut, and a taller woman next to him. It was a long line to the desk, and if we were quiet enough we could hear the two of them talking. 

"But Hange" the smaller guy spoke, "what if my new roomate is weird? I can't.. if it.. I don't even know what I'm saying."

"Levi-"

"I don't even know how to make friends, you and Erwin are my only two friends because you two forced me to be your friend. Maybe college isn't a good idea, maybe I should go back home and-" the shorter man, Levi's breathing had begun to pick up and he started tugging on his ears.

"Stop that, Levi, hey, Levi?"

I stepped forward, ignoring the strange look I was getting from Connie. I put my hand on the womans shoulder, "Hi, my name is Eren, my mom is a doctor, mind if I help with your friend."

The shorter man glared, "D-don't.."

She looked up at me, "yes please"

"okay" I turned to the shorter man, "hey, can I touch you?"

He shook his head no and I calmly smiled, "that's okay, what's your name?"

"Le..vi.."

"Who's your friend with you?"

"Han..ge"

"Good, where are you right now?"

"Maria.. University.." his breathing began to slow and I gave him an encouraging smile.

"That's it buddy, what's your major?"

"writers composition and.. psych" he loosened his grip on his ears. 

"Thats cool, my name is Eren and my major is math, I want to be a math teacher. This guy" I pointed to Connie, "is my friend Connie, he's majoring and psych, he wants go to go grad school to be a counselor. What about you, Levi?"

"Wanna be an author" He said and I smiled at the full sentence, "and who's your friend with you?"

"Hange.."

"Hange Zoe!" the girl, Hange, said excitedly next to him, she easily put a hand on Levis shoulder and turned to me. "Majoring in bio-chemical engineering and minoring in biology. I know this isn't my building, but I'm helping Levi adjust to living with someone who isnt his uncle and talking to someone who isn't me. It's nice to meet you Eren, you too Connie, oh and Eren thank you for helping him out.. I've never.."

I just waved her off, "no biggy, its called a panic attack, some arent bad and luckily that was easily maintained. You're okay"

Hange glared down at Levi, "well don't be rude, say thank you"

Levi glared right back at her and looked at me, "thank you"

I wanted to laugh and Connie just smiled, "So, Levi, youre in this building, right?"

"yes" 

"Maybe we should hang out sometime? Eren and I can use some new friends anyway, having only two of us here is kind of boring. What's your number?" 

Something showed in Levis eyes as he looked between Hange and Connie, and Hange gave Levi an encouraging tap to his shoulder. Levi turned to Connie and recited his number and his last name, spelling it out. 

"Do you know a Mikasa Ackerman?" I asked.

"What? No, it's only me and my uncle, why?"

"Nah, nothing. But hey, we'll text you tomorrow? you two can come meet the gang and we can get food or something after orientaton" I smiled.

Levi didn't say anything but Hange smiled brightly, "yeah sure! I need some new friends since I'm going to be separated from my best buddy here!" I wanted to laugh because Levi looked so annoyed by her, but made no effort to push her away from him. She cleared her throat, "well, Levi and I are going to get signed in, I guess we'll see you two around?"

"Yeah" I said and I looked down at Levi, blushing when his piercing grey eyes were already staring at me. "I'll see you guys around"

The two of them were up next and they went and got signed in, as did Connie and I. I couldn't help but watch as Hange mothered Levi the entire time they signed in. She was loud and could catch anyone's attention. It was kind of funny, they seemed to be the complete opposite of each other. Once Commie and I signed in we walked upstairs to our shared room, and thank goodness I was sharing it with someone I knew. I didn't like strangers as much as that Levi kid downstairs. We used our key card to get in and we each picked a bunk to sleep on. As we were unpacking, Connie turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "So.. Levi Ackerman huh?"

"Oh shut the fuck up, Connie"

"come on, its cute. You're having your first college crush"

I rolled my eyes, "I think hes cute yes but he doesn't seem like someone I would be with"

"Dude, what? I mean whatever you say, but if you don't wan to date him I'm sure any other guy in this college would."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Connie's turn to roll his eyes, "I'm saying that hes attractive, hes cute. Just think about it, idiot. Now, turn on some music so we can jam out and unpack."

"whatever" 


	3. And They Were Roommates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't expect to get any readers for this story so soon, thank you for reading this!

_**Levi** _

Getting settled into my room wasn't that hard, my room mate hasn't even showed up yet so I had some time alone. Well, if alone meant that Hange was on my ass about everything then yes I was completely alone. It felt weird, I didn't have Kenny next door and I wasn't going to have Hange right across the street, and I won't have Erwin to call when I needed something. It felt weird, but I think I can manage. I can easily adapt to new situations, this one shouldn't be any different. 

"So" Hange began and I sighed, it was so calming as we listened to the music and she had to ruin it. "How about that Eren guy, huh? He seemed pretty cute"

I rolled my eyes, "Hange, I broke up with Erwin because for once I wanted to depend on myself and not someone else, you really think I'm going to hop on the first dick I find, huh?"

She rolled her eyes right back at me, "No, I'm just saying he seemed nice enough for you to give them your number"

"Isn't that how you make friends with people? Give them you're number?" I asked sarcastically as I made my bed, I had to get a step stool for my bed since I couldn't get on it on my own, it sucks being 5'2".

"Well yeah but.. Ugh, Levi! You make things so hard sometimes, just put yourself out there" Hange said while she put my stuff in the closet and started putting things on my desk. 

I put up some posters I brought from home, "I'm not exactly a people person like you, everybody likes you Hange"

"It's a blessing and a curse, short stack" She smiled that obnoxious smile and closed my closet, "Alright, I'm done with your clothes. Since I'm already settled in my room I'm going to go meet my new room mate, hopefully they're smart and can help me on homework and stuff."

"Yeah" I got off my bed and stretched my legs, "hopefully they're as loud and flamboyant as you too"

She looked down at me and opened her arms, "come on, bring it in, hug mama Hange"

I let out a small chuckle and hugged her, laying my head on her shoulder. "I don't know why you insist on hugging me all the time, and calling yourself mama Hange. You're only a month older than me"

"Ah" She smiled and pulled way from the hug, "a month more of experience for me, Mr. Ackerman" she turned and grabbed her purse, "I'll text you when I made it there safe, have fun meeting your new roommate, tell me how it goes tomorrow at orientation." 

"Right, bye Hange"

"See ya!"

When she left I turned around to look back at my room, my side was all set up and the other side was blank. This was different, to say the least. I got on my bed and opened my laptop, getting under the covers and folding my arms under my pillow after I opened Netflix. There was nothing else to do while I waited for my room mate to show up, my eyes fluttering shut. 

What seemed like forever later I was woken up from my nap by a hand on my shoulder, an unfamiliar hand none the less, and my eyes snapped open. Before I could register who it was I grabbed the pocket knife i kid under my pillow and quickly opening it, aiming it for the persons throat. My eyes widened when I saw who it was, "Holy.. Mike?"

The man who stood before me was Mike, my friend at my old high school before I transferred schools where I met Hange and Erwin. I retracted my knife an hid it back under my pillow, "what the fuck man? I could've killed you without a second thought."

"Doubt that, you wouldn't want to ruin your scholarship and go back home" he said and turned, setting his bag and suit cases on the floor. "How did you not know we were room mates, did you not check?"

I shook my head, "I didn't know I could"

"I saw you didn't have a room mate and before some random guy took this space I requested it, I know how you are with people you don't know"

"I didn't even know you were going here, I haven't seen you since..." 

He turned to look at me, his hair was pushed out of his face. "Since you were with that asshole"

I rubbed the back of my neck, "uh.. yeah, since then. I'm surprised you're here talking to me after all of that happened."

"I don't resent you for it, Levi. Jean did all that, you were in a bad spot, I get it. Let's put this behind us, yeah? What are you majoring in?" He asked as he unpacked his bag. 

"Writers composition and minoring in psych, you?" I asked, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. 

"Psychology" is all he said, "It was the only thing that sounded interesting to me. I got a free first two years here so I figured I would come here, maybe finish here, not sure yet."

We sat in silence for some time before he got focused on unpacking his bags, and I eventually laid back down on my bed and looked back at my laptop. It was kind of awkward, but nice knowing my roommate was someone I knew instead of some complete stranger. I can't imagine if I held a knife up to a stranger when they weren't allowed on campus, the look on that persons face, the old me would've laughed but me now would've been mortified. I sighed in content, with Mike I felt safe enough to shut my eyes again, slowly falling asleep again. 

_I felt a hand grab the back of my neck, tugging at my hair and I looked to see Jean at the corner of my eye. My eyes slimmed down and formed a glare, he masked the same look on his face. "You can't just go pull that shit Rivaille, you know we could get caught, what were you thinking?"_

_I turned and looked up at him, my shoulders squared, his hand still on the back of my neck. "I was thinking I could save your ass, Jean, but obviously you don't give a damn whether I put myself out there or not."_

_He took a drag of the joint in his hand, giving me that smirk he always gave me. "Listen, I don't need more people on my ass. Go tell Mike we can't sell to the people he knows, they're too much of a risk, being on the north side and all." he patted my check and took another drag, "now"_

_Anger coursed through my veins, I wasn't some lap dog, but I loved him, I couldn't say no. I just turned and walked out of the house and into the alley down the road where Mike told me to meet him. Once I arrived I shoved my hand in my jacket pockets, it was cold outside, maybe fifty degrees? All I know is that it was freezing and I had to get inside quick. I wrapped my hand around the knife in my pocket that Jean gave me when we first met, when he first recruited me. I saw Mike leaning against the wall scrolling on his phone and I put on a dead pan look on my face, no emotion. "Mike"_

_He turned and nodded his hand when he saw me "Levi"_

_"Look, we can't sell to you, boss' orders. We can't risk north side involvement, so I'm gonna need you to high tail your ass out of here while you still can, cause Jean doesn't fool around" I explained._

_Mike gave me a questioning look, "we're high buyers up north, and you're denying us? Because you don't want to risk involvement? Are you serious?"_

_I shrugged my shoulders, a teasing smile on my face as I began to back up, waving my hand. "Sorry hot stuff, boss's orders, see you around though"_

_Before I knew it Mike had began to walk towards me, but I knew he had no intentions of hurting me by the way he held himself. He was from up north, he didn't know anything about offense anyway. "Levi, this side of town isn't good for you, come to the north side and I can show you the good in everybody instead of being in this slum down here."_

_"Calling my home a slum, huh?" A voice rang out from behind us and I inwardly flinched, Jean. I stood my ground as the footsteps came closer behind me and an arm was wrapped around my shoulder by the taller man. "And trying to recruit my best dealer? Kidding me? Mike, I thought you guys had more manners since you're from up north." He had that look in his eye, a look of possessiveness I was so familiar with._

_Mike had taken a step back, threatened by Jeans murderous gaze. I'm not surprised though, Jean was a dangerous man. He was very intimidating. "Fine, but if you ever wish to leave, Levi, you know where to find me."_

_"No promises" I frowned and nodded my head towards Mikes car, "get out of here, don't show your face down here again."_

_Mike turned around and walked towards his car, getting in and driving off as fast as he could. I don't blame him, if I could leave I would skid my tires too because of how fast I would take off. I was about to turn to say something to Jean but he had other ideas, shoving me up against the side of the brick building and grabbing my jaw, making me look up at him and holding me in place. "Trying to leave me, huh?" he sneered, a venomous look in his eyes._

_I sent him a glare, "fuck off, you know I wouldn't leave you. Stop being ridiculous"_

_He tightened his grip on my jaw, and I was sure there would be a bruise. "Treat me with some respect, I pay for your uncles rehab and I'm buying you shit. I can stop all that right now, your fixes, everything."_

_That stopped my attitude fast and I sighed, he was right. It was only me at home right now, Kenny was in rehab for alcohol abuse and I was currently staying with Jean at his apartment. "okay"_

_"Thats what I thought" He said and let go of me, "now let's get home, I want you all to myself"_

_**Eren** _

Orientation seemed totally bogus, but it was required. Connie and I arrived at the wrong time because now it was packed, the lines were long and we haven't even gotten our tickets yet to sit down in the auditorium. I sighed impatiently, "you're the reason why we're late, just remember that" Connie mumbled.

"Well I'm sorry I wanted five more minutes of sleep" I rolled my eyes. 

"Five minutes? More like thirty, I tried waking you up like three times. IF you're like this with your classes I can only imagine what you're teachers are going to think of you." Connie said, crossing his arms. "Mikasa and Annie are probably already in there, once their group gets dismissed then we can probably go in, but all the good food might be gone."

"Whatever" I laughed softly, checking my phone. It was another ten minutes until this stupid thing started, I just wanted to get through this and get some lunch. I'm starving. 

I was about to shoot a text to some friends when I heard a squeal from behind me, Connie and I turned our heads to see Hange, Levi, and some tall guy walk in together. "Eren! Hey!" she called out, "Hey Connie!"

"She's loud" Connie said with a smile, "but nice"

I nodded, "yeah" and I watched the three of them walk up to Connie and I. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Just running late like usual, trying to convince this guy" Hange pointed at Levi, "to come was a lot harder than I thought."

Levi sent her a small glare and I wanted to laugh, "whatever"

He was cute. He was small but he carried his head held high and he had this aroma that was 'don't fuck with me', which I admired. He looked like he didn't take shit from anybody, and that he didn't really care about anyone else except for Hange and whoever the guy was who stood next to him. Levi ended up looking at me, his gaze piercing into mine. His eyes were a dull silver that sparkled, his face in a frown, he pointed to the guys next to him. "Uh, this is my roommate Mike, Mike this is Eren and is friend Connie, they're in the same building as us"

Mike looked at me and nodded, "what floor?"

"Second" Connie answered while typing on his phone, "You guys?"

"We're on the third floor, right across from some noisy assholes who blasted music most of the night" Levi grumbled and I snorted. His eyes met mine again and I blushed. 

The line moved up and Hange spoke, "You guys want to sit together?" 

"Sure" I answered for both Connie and I, and my friend gave me a small knowing look in his eye. I chose to ignore it as we all proceeded to get our tickets. Once we all got our slips in, we walked into the auditorium once the other group filed out the other door. Connie led us to the middle balcony and we all sat town. It was Connie, me, Levi, Hange, and Mike in order as we sat down. 

When the lecture started I noticed Levi squinting to see the screen, and I watched as Hange dug in her purse and handed him a pair of black framed glasses. Levi signed and grabbed them, grumbling something and unfolded them, putting them on. He seemed to relax then, leaning back against his seat. I took another look at him, with glasses his face looked softer, he looked younger than he probably was. His eyes met mine and he raised an eyebrow, "whats up?" he asked.

"Nothing" I mumbled and turned my gaze towards the Dean of the university, trying my bets to focus.

This was going to be a long lecture. 

_**Third person** _

The orientation was over quicker than most of them thought, Levi stayed in his comfort zone, being next to Hange and sometimes Mike. He sometimes drifted off and talked to Eren, while Connie spent most of his time talking to Hange about some science stuff he wanted to know about, and Mike joining in since he was a psych major along with Connie. Eventually while they walked down the sidewalk, Hange, Connie, and Mike walked in front of Eren and Levi, leaving the two to talk to each other. It was a comfortable silence for awhile, Levi walking with his hands in his pockets and Eren was looking around at the beautiful scenery of the university. 

The taller boy had been more of an outgoing person, Levi had noticed. He said hi to pretty much everyone he walked past and he engaged himself with conversation with everyone. It was the complete opposite of the smaller man, who didn't like anyone. He wasn't social, he'd rather kill them befriend someone new. But for some reason, Eren didn't bother him with how much he talked. In fact, he wouldn't admit it, but he was interested in some of the things he talked about. 

"So, you said you wanted to be an author, you want to write a book some day?" Eren asked, looking down at Levi as they walked. 

Levi shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, I want to write my own book. Don't know what I want it to be about, but I want to be on the Now York Times Best Sellers list"

"Thats cool" Eren smiled, "I'm simple, all I wanna is be a math teacher"

"Sound smart" Levi mumbled, "I can barely do basic math, I have to take this college level algebra class and it's gonna kill my GPA I know it."

Eren thought for a moment before he spoke again, "I.. I could tutor you?"

Levi looked up at Eren for the first time since they've been talking and he shrugged, "sure, I could use an A this semester."

The taller boy smiled and nodded, "give me your phone"

"okay" he grabbed his phone from his pocket and handed it to Eren as he unlocked it, "here, don't drop it"

"Wouldn't dream of it" Eren got into Levis contacts and added himself in there, along with Connies number. He handed Levi his phone back to him. 

"Your last name is Yaeger?" Levi asked, "like the liquor?"

Eren raised an eyebrow, "uh.. yeah?"

"Thats awesome" Levi cracked a smile for the first time today.

Hange looked behind her to see Levi and Eren exchange numbers and smiled, she was proud Levi was starting to come out of his shell. When she first met him he was very angry and avoided people, and with her help he's making a friend on his own. "Hey! You guys wanna go out to eat? I saw a diner down the road!"

"I'm down!" Connie called out.

"Looks like we're eating, cause I'm starving" Levi mumbled. 

"we'll join ya!" Eren smiled, and they all followed Hange to the diner. Eren texted Annie and Mikasa to meet them there. 

Having a group of friends was something Levi had never experienced, all he had years ago was a gang he was in. He was so high he could barely remember most of the people he was "friends" with. But right now he was sitting at a round booth table sat between Eren and Hange, sipping his tea quietly while everyone else talked to each other. He talked some, but not as much as Hange and Connie, he could tell they would become great friends. He learned that Mikasa and Annie have been dating for almost a year, Eren was single and in his prime, and that Mike was single and not looking for anyone. He was actually enjoying himself for once, this was fun. He had friends, and eventually over lunch they all exchanged numbers with each other, and social medias. Hange had also invited her roommate, Sasha, and she was just as loud as Hange. They got along really well, and she was funny. She had everybody laughing within five minutes of showing up to lunch. 

Levis phone buzzed and he looked down to see a text from Erwin, checking up on him and seeing how he's doing. He sent him a quick text back, saying he was making friends and he was happy to be somewhere that wasn't home, in which Erwin replied with an emoji that had its tongue sticking out saying how he wants to get out of town. Levi replied back and shoved his phone back in his pocket, looking over at Eren, who was already staring at him. "what?" he asked defensivlely.

"Who was that?" Eren asked casually, eating his sand which that leaked grease.

The raven cringed, gross. He gave Eren a napkin, "you're getting messy. And it was my ex Erwin"

Hange butted in, "how's he doing?"

"Good" Levi replied, "he's going to graduate the academy soon"

"Good for him" she smiled and went back to talking to Sasha and Connie. 

Eren frowned, did he have a chance with Levi if he was still getting over his ex? "when did you guys break up?"

"A couple months ago" Levi shrugged his shoulders, surprised he was talking so casually. "It was mutual, we're better being friends anyway. How about you?"

"Single and ready to mingle" Eren wiggled his eyebrows, causing Connie to laugh across the table. "what?!" 

Connie laughed, "Eren, if you keep doing that with your eyebrows, you'll be single forever"

"will not!"

"will too!"

Everyone at the table snickered, making Eren groan. "You don't know what you're talking about, I don't do that"

"You just did it" exclaimed Mikasa.

Eren blushed, "oh shut up."

They all hung out the rest of the day until it was dinner time, Hange and Sasha walked back to their building, Annie and Mikasa walked to their building, which left Mike, Eren, Levi and Connie to walk to their own academic building. Levi was tired, he wanted to sleep. Once they entered the building Mike excused himself to use the bathroom, which left Connie, Eren, and Levi to take the elevator and go upstairs. Levi was scrolling through his phone as they stood in the elevator, and when it dinged and the doors opened, Connie and Eren stepped out. "See you around, Levi" Connie waved and smiled, Levi waved back.

"Bye Connie"

Eren leaned against the door frame, "hey uh.. wanna hang out some more before classes start? we could tour campus together? Maybe find some hidden places?"

Levi crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, not like I have anything else to do anyway"

"Awesome" Eren smiled brightly and waved, "bye Levi! I'll text you later!"

"Goodbye Eren" 

The doors shut and Levi arrived to his floor, he walked out and went to his room, using his key card to get inside. Once the door shut behind him he sighed and took off his reading glasses, setting them on the side table he brought from home. _Thank God Hange remembered those,_ he thought to himself. He has contacts but he forgot to wear them. Levi stripped of his jacket and hung it up in the closet, he grabbed his toiletries and a change of clothes so he could go shower. When he grabbed his phone, it buzzed in his pocket. 

To : Levi Ackerman

From : Eren Yeager 

_Hey! Just wanted to say I had a really good time with you and meeting your friends today, they all seem nice. Hope I wasn't too forward with you, I just think we will be great friends and we get along really good. Would you like to go and find a cafe tomorrow with me? You can invite Hange if you want too._

_A bit forward, huh?_ Levi thought to himself, but nonetheless, he texted his new friend back. 

To: Eren Yeager

From : Levi Ackerman 

_Sure, it can be just us. I don't need Hange there, see you tomorrow, goodnight Eren_

He put his phone on his pocket and grabbed his air pods, walking to the bathroom to shower. 

Eren smiled as he stared down at his phone, reading the message from Levi. "Hey Connie, what do you think about Levi?"

Connie looked up from his video game, "what? love sick already?"

"Oh shut up" He sighed and rolled over to look down at his friend, "you know what I mean"

"He seems really anti-social, literally the opposite of you"

Eren wiggled his eyebrows, "opposites attract, right?"

Connie shrugged, "whatever you say, Eren, I'm gonna keep playing my game.

He rolled back over, looking back at his phone and replying to Levi's text.

To : Levi Ackerman 

From : Eren Yeager 

_Goodnight Levi_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave Kudos!


	4. The Smallest Coffins Are The Heaviest

_**Levi** _

_Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I broke the window, glass shattering around me, falling down to my feet. I was breathing heavy, ignoring the pain that splintered through my hand and down to my wrist. I couldn't even think about that, I had priorities, like not getting the shit beat out of me. I was outnumbered, where was Jean? He was supposed to be here! Where was his car?_

_"Ackerman, open this damn door!" my buyer from another gang, Reiner, yelled as he banged on the door I had previously locked behind me._

_"Fuck, I whispered to myself, I looked down. I was on the top floor of this house, the second floor. If I jumped I'll be fucked, I might break something. Then I won't be any use to anybody, especially not Jean. I needed Jean, he was my lifeline right now while Kenny was gone at rehab. "shit" I wanted to panic, but I also knew that I couldn't, I wouldn't. Levi Ackerman does not panic._

_"What, you scared? Pussy?" Reiners voice boomed throughout the house._

_Why did Jean have me do this alone? Did he know about Reiners reinforcements, "I can't forgive you for almost breaking my nose, but maybe we can work something out"_

_I panted, the pain in my arm searing through me. This wasn't good, I was losing blood. I have to make this jump. I grabbed my phone and dialed Jeans number that I had memorized to his emergency phone. It rang once and he picked up, "Levi, what the fuck is going on?"_

_"What do you mean whats going on? I need the car, Reiner didn't buy it, come pick me up before he beats the shit out of me"_

_"Are you hurt?"_

_"Yes" I responded, "not bad, but if you don't get here in the next minute or so I will have to jump out of this two story window"_

_"I'll tell Isabel, she's right in that area, she'll pick you up, I'm with Furlan right now"_

_"Okay"_

_He hung up_ the _phone and I waited, my hands shaking and blood dripping to the floor. Then, seconds later, I heard more banging on the door. That door wouldn't last much longer, it was barely hanging onto the hinges. Then, I heard the cock of a gun. Fuck._

_"Levi Levi Levi" Reiner spoke, "I would've guessed you would be smarter than to run upstairs."_

_"Don't remind me" I spat, looking between the door and the window, anticipation and anxiety coursing through my veins. It was either fight or flight, and everything in me was saying to fight._

_"I suggest you come out before I come in there, you would make a great asset to my crew"_

_"Fuck you!" I sneered, "I'm with Jean, you big fucking idiot!"_

_A loud bang rang through my ears, and all I could hear was a high pitched ringing in my ears. The next thing I saw was Reiner walking into the room, gun aimed at me. I can't stay, I have to go. I was already half way out the window anyway. I turned quickly and right as the gun fired again, scraping my left shoulder, I jumped without thinking twice, landing on top of Isabels car._

_"Big bro!"_

_I coughed up some blood and got into her car through the sunroof, "drive, Izzy"_

_Everything went dark then._

I remember everything so clearly, every day I remember it. Everything I went through while I was with _him_ was engraved in my brain. I can't get it out, no matter how hard I try. And the worst part about it? I can't tell anyone, I legally can't tell anybody anything except for the people that already knew. I shook my head, I was leaving that behind for a reason. I can't think about that stuff now, I had a new life, nobody knows me here, I can start over. 

Letting out a sigh I continued to sip my tea. I was in the lounge area with my laptop in my lap, pages and pages of story ideas in front of me and a story in progress in the other tab. I write when I'm stressed, and there is a lot of pages in this computer full or writings in the past couple years. I'm surprised this laptop has lasted this long. My phone began to buzz, I looked down and saw Hange calling. 

_"well hello there, short stack. How are ya?"_

"I'm good, just been writing. How about you, hows your roommate?"

_"She's pretty cool, we have the same major, which is awesome. I finally get a study buddy who knows what I'm talking about. It's a nice day out though, do you want to do something?"_

"Oh actually I uh, I got plans for today"

_"What? Levi Ackerman has plans?"_

"Oh shut up" I rolled my eyes, "Eren wants to go hang out today and I told him that I would"

_"He totally likes you, Levi"_

"Hange, I already told you, I'm focusing on myself, I don't want anybody right now"

_"Whatever you say dude, I'm going to let you go now. Sasha invited me to go check out the labs with her so I'll talk to you later, bye!"_

"bye" I hung up the phone and ran a hand through my hair, looking down at the writing on my laptop. So many ideas, so little time. I sighed and saved my works, shutting the laptop and put my air pods in my pocket, standing up and carrying my tea back to my room down the hall. Using my key card, I walked in to see Mike on his bed, headphones in and a book in front of his face. I put my stuff on my bed and sat down, rubbing a hand over my face. I barely slept last night, I feel like I could fall asleep anytime soon. I laid down and rolled over, burying myself under the blankets and quickly falling asleep. 

I was woken up by the sound of my phone vibrating and I groaned, opening my eyes and looking around, seeing Mike nowhere around. He must've left. I felt around for my phone and finally sound it, answering it. "hello?"

_"Levi? Hey, uh, you weren't answering your texts and I was wondering if we're still on for today?"_

"oh, hey Eren" I yawned and rolled over. "Sorry, I fell asleep. Let me get dressed and we'll meet downstairs?"

_"sure, see ya"_

I hung up the phone and groaned, why did he insist on being friends with me?

_ **Eren** _

I waited downstairs for Levi, sitting on one of the chairs, playing a game on my phone. Connie said he was leaving to do whatever today with Annie, so it was just me hanging with Levi today. I honestly thought he bailed, turns out he just fell asleep. He seemed tired over the phone, maybe he's having a hard time adjusting to college or something cause last night I slept like a baby. 

After a couple minutes I looked up when I heard the elevator ding, and Levi walking out a second later. He was wearing black jeans, brown boots, a black shirt and a dark red flannel. He looked around and when he found me, he walked up to me. "Hey sorry, I fell asleep and didn't wake up till you called me."

"Dude" I checked the time, "its three in the afternoon"

Levi shrugged, "oh well. What do you want to do?"

"Well for one, we should get some coffee. Maybe walk around after wards, to find something to do. I have my camera that Mikasa gave me for my eighteenth birthday, so maybe we can take pictures and stuff."

He raised an eyebrow, and for some reason I felt intimidated. He had that type of vibe, if looks could kill, Levis emotionless face could really do the job. I don't know if he knows how evil he looks, he always looks mad. I never know what he's feeling. "Oh? You take pictures?"

I nodded my head, "yeah, have been since I was younger. I have plenty on my other one but that one ran out of storage, I forgot to upload it to my computer back home. My laptop I brought here crashed so I'm having no luck so far."

Levi frowned deeper, "Hange might be able to fix it, she's good with all that computer crap I don't understand. You should drop it by sometime"

"Sure" I smiled and I stood up, shoving my phone in my pocket and holding onto my camera. I towered over Levi, I at least had to be almost a foot taller than him. He was the perfect height just to hold like a teddy bear, I thought it was cute. "Ready to head to the cafe?"

"Yeah" he said and turned, leading the way out of the building with me tailing behind him. Today should be interesting. 

We ended up getting some coffee, well, I did, Levi got some weird drink but it had caffeine in it so I didn't question it. We stayed in the cafe for awhile, sitting next to each other by the clear window, looking out at the scenery. The cafe was right behind the big bridge across from student housing, and the window seats showed a view of most of the housing addition. I peeked at Levi over my cup, just admiring him while he didnt notice, he was too busy looking outside. 

He was sitting with his legs crossed, aiming towards the wall. He mostly faced the window, he had his arm resting against the back of the chair. He ended up rolling the sleeves up on his flannel, revealing pale skin. His face showed no emotion, I couldn't tell if he was happy or content or what. His hair was dark black, like a raven. It was shiny and smooth looking, and it was cut around the length of his ears and he had an undercut. His eyes pierced through whatever he looked at it, like he was staring into your soul with those silvery eyes of his. His mouth was in a tight line as he sipped his tea, he held his cup weird, he held the top of the cup instead of the side. I didn't question it though, Levi didn't seem like the type of guy to open up, so I was not about to ask the wrong question. His demeanor was calm and collected, but he had this edge about him that showed that he could snap at any point. I could tell he wasn't a very flamboyant person, but it seemed like something else constantly bothered him, like his mind was in a whole other place half of the time I talked to him. 

The sun was shining into the diner, as most of the walls were actually glass, the place was very bright. I got an idea and grabbed my camera from my bag, aiming it at the man in front of me. I snapped a quick picture at the man in front of me, causing him to raise his thing eyebrow and look over at me. "What are you doing, Eren?"

"Told you I was taking pictures" I smiled wide, "you looked so deep in thought, it was honestly perfect timing for a picture. Look at it" I turned the camera around and showed it to him, he leaned forward and looked at it. "Just wait till I edit it, it'll look cool"

"Whatever you say, Yeager" he nodded his head and looked back at me, "so, where to next?"

"Not sure" I shrugged my shoulders, , playing with the end of my white t-shirt. I decided to wear a simple white v-neck and a pair of blue jeans along with my convers. I didn't have a lot of money, whatever Levi was wearing looked like it costed a lot of money. "Wanna walk around and snap some pictures?"

Levi looked between me and the camera, nodding his head. "sure, but hopefully not of me"

"Oh, they'll be of you" I laughed, "do you have a problem with it?"

He gave me a pointed look before sipping the last of his tea, standing up and ignoring what I said. Did I hit a nerve or something? "come on" he said, "lets go" 

I gulped down the rest of my drink and tossed it in the recycling bin, following Levi out the door. We walked out of the cafe silently, not a word said between us. It wasn't awkward though, it was more like a comfortable silence. Levi wasn't one for words, I learned that quickly. When we did talk, it was mainly me doing the talking. "Hey Levi?"

He didn't look up at me, we just kept walking down the sidewalk. "What?"

"Did it bother you that I took your picture?" I asked. 

"No" Levi answered, "I've never had my picture taken before, besides at my graduation. Erwin, Hange, and I got our picture taken when the three of us threw our caps in the air." 

"Okay, good" I said, "wait- no graduation photos or anything?"

He shook his head, "uh, no, I didn't really want them."

"We're gonna change that right now, Mr. Ackerman" I smiled and he turned to look up at me, a questioning look in his eyes. "Chill out, you don't even try and you look so mad at me. Give me a chance, okay? Here" I looked around and noticed we were walking next to a field, the sun was starting to set and the lighting was perfect for some sunset photos. "We're taking your grad pictures now"

"Eren-"

"Everybody deserves to feel good about themselves, Levi" I said and looked down at him, seeing the uncertainty in his eyes. "Give it a try, if you've got the balls"

"Fine" he sneered and I smiled. 

"perfect, okay" I said and looked around, "follow me" and I made my way into the field. I heard him follow my lead into the field. It was full of bright green grass with sunflowers littered throughout the field. They were obviously planted there on purpose, as they were placed in perfectly spaced and straight lines. I lead Levi in the middle of the field and looked over at him, admiring how he looked around at his surroundings. Something tells me that he had no idea how attractive he really was. "Alright Levi, lets get this started"

"Um.. what do I.. what do I do?" he asked, fidgeting with his fingers and looking up at me, the mean look he had earlier disappearing and curiosity replacing it. 

I smiled, "lets start with something simple, lay down , spread the flowers out, this will be awesome." 

Levi was a natural at getting his picture taken if you get past the awkward stage of him asking questions on what to do. Eventually we did candid photos, he seemed to like those better. I told him to throw a couple things, to tie his flannel around his waist, to take it off, to take his necklace he wore between his teeth. He loved the candid a lot more, which was great because I did too. The confidence he felt within himself radiated with every picture I took of him, I cant wait to edit these and show them to him. Maybe I should do this with him and Hange too? I'm sure they would love that. 

By the time were finished the sun was starting to set, and both of us were laying on our backs in the grass. He folded up his flannel and used it as a pillow, while I had my arms behind my head, staring up at the sky. "Today was fun" I smiled, "you're a natural, Levi"

He cringed, "you don't have to always compliment me, Eren"

"I'm serious" I said, "and I can if I want, it's a free country, I can say whatever I wanna say"

"If you're going to say what you would like to say, then use proper grammar. It's want too, not wanna" he clapped back.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes, "whatever, but really, you should consider the fact that you're a natural at getting your picture taken. The confidence coming from you was amazing, Levi"

He stayed silent for a moment and I thought I maybe hit a nerve with him for the second time today, but all he did was let out a breath. "Thank you for being my friend, Eren"

With a questioning hum, I looked over at him to see a relaxed look on his face. His eyes were closed, he had a small smile ghosting his face. He looked peaceful. 

"A lot of people back in my hometown didn't bother to get to know me, after the reputation I had, I wouldn't blame them" he said, "you've known me for like three days and actually treat me like I'm wanted as a person, so thank you for that"

I continued to look at him, "where did you grow up? I asked. 

"Long Beach, California" Levi answered, "on the rough side, I never actually saw the ocean. I lived on the south end towards the more poor side of town. You?"

"Bay City, Michigan" I replied, "it's so boring there, the moment I found out I got accepted here I started packing, I swear. 

Levi smiled, "yeah, I did the same thing when I got accepted here, especially on a full ride."

My eyes widened, "you got a full ride here?"

He peeked up at me, "yeah, I don't look smart, but I was graduated third in my class after Erwin and Hange."

"Were they your only friends back home?"

"You could say that" he mumbled, and we went silent again.

We chit chatted for another hour before Levi started to get cold. He put his flannel back on and we made our way back to our housing addition, talking to each other here and there. Turns out he came here to outrun his past, coming from California to North Dakota is a long drive, it was practically the perfect way to run from your past. We ended up talking right next to each other, not that I was complaining. When we got back to our building, Levi walked me back to my room and before I walked in, he stopped me. "remember to text Hange about your computer, okay?"

"Alright, will do, I'll text her tonight and see when I can stop by" I smiled and I decided against hugging him goodbye, he didn't seem like the type. "See ya later Levi"

He waved and began walking away, "goodbye Eren"

I watched him walk back to the elevator before using my key card to walk into my room, closing the door behind me. I set my camera down at my desk and looked at my broken laptop. I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text to Hange, seeing when I could come by to let her see what's wrong with it. I sat down on my bed, stretching before laying down on it, rubbing my eyes. I felt so tired, but I had fun today. I smiled to myself, I knew I liked Levi, and who knows, maybe some day he will like me back. 

My phone buzzed. 

To: Eren Yeager

From : Hange Zoe

_Tomorrow I'm gonna relax, bring it by sometime later this week. Maybe Friday? That sound good?_

I texted her back saying I could bring it by on Friday, and i put my phone on the charger. I grabbed the remote to Connie's T.V and turned on Netflix, putting Shameless on to fall asleep though. I've seen this show so many times, I didn't need to pay attention to anything. I rolled over and buried my face in the pillow, slowly falling asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave Kudos!


	5. What Are Best Friends For?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the kudos guys, I'm having so much fun writing this book, thanks for coming on this journey with me.  
> also, brief levi/hange but they're just friends

_ **Hange** _

I rolled over in my bed, groaning as I held my stomach. I didn't feel good, and I knew why. My time of the month was going to started later today or tomorrow. I sighed and nuzzled my face in my pillow, I hate being a female sometimes. I whimpered as I held my stomach tighter, feeling a cramp ripple through my stomach. My cramps always felt like they get worse every time I go through this. I grabbed my phone off the charger, sending a quick text to Levi to pick up some meds for me because of how much pain I'm in, and to see if he would stop over. Sasha spent the night at one of her friends' houses last night. I got a text from Levi almost right away.

To : Hange Zoe

From : Levi Ackerman

_Of course, any snack requests? I'll take my car so I can get you as much as you want._

I texted him back saying anything will do and I sent him the pin number to my dorm room, we didn't have key cards in my building, we had to memorize a pin number. I turned on my playlist of nature sounds to fall asleep too and I set my phone down on my side table, rolling over and closing my eyes, sighing. This is going to be a long week. 

I woke up to my door opening and bags being set down on the floor, and the next thing I knew I had a hand carding through my hair. I knew it was Levi by how small the hand was, "Hey Hange" his deep voice whispered, "I brought you pain meds and plenty of snacks to last you all week. Also got you a couple boxes of tampons, and I saw this awesome neck pillow I thought you might like. You feeling okay? I can get a heating pad started for you, if you want"

"Yes please" I whispered, closing my eyes. Another wave of cramps rippled through my stomach. 

There was some rummaging through my stuff before I heard him plug in the heating pad, "hey, roll over on your back four eyes" I rolled over and accepted the heating pad, rolling up my shirt and putting it on my stomach. "It's on the highest setting, tell me to turn it town if you need it okay?" he carded his fingers through my hair again and I smiled.

"You're too good to me, short stack" I said, looking up at him, and I frowned. "Dude, whats with the get up?"

He was wearing sweats and a short sleeve shirt, his hair was messed up and he had his glasses on. He rolled his eyes, "I just rolled out of bed and came over, I know how bad your cramps can get. Now" he opened a bottle of pills and handed me two of them along with the water bottle, "take these, they're the same kind your mom buys for you"

I took the pills and swallowed them, setting the water bottle down on my side table. "Thank you, Levi"

"Do you want me to lay with you?" He sounded afraid to ask, I knew how he hated physical affection, but every month he laid with me when I was cramping. " I was the only one besides his uncle that he showed physical affection too as far as I knew. "Yes please" 

Levi didn't hesitate to climb up on my bed and lay down on his back, pulling me in close, allowing me to lay my head on his shoulder. The heating pad stayed on my stomach, but I knew it didn't bother him. He wrapped his arm around me and kept me close, "go back to sleep hange, I'll be here when you wake up"

"Eren is coming over today, I gotta fix his laptop" I mumbled, drifting to sleep.

"We'll see how you're feeling and then see if you're feeling up to it, but right now, you're not doing anything besides sleeping"

"'kay" I mumbled, "thank you for being here"

I couldn't see his face without my glasses, but I knew he had a small smile on his face. "I'm here with you every month, Hange. That's what best friends are for. Now, go to sleep, okay?"

"..'kay.." next thing I knew, I was fast asleep, listening to the heartbeat of my best friend. 

"She's not feeling good right now, Eren, you can come by later"

"No, nothings wrong, its just cramps. Hers are really bad so I'm staying with her"

"Eren shut up, if you want to come by her dorm you can, but she's not up to doing anything right now"

"Right, yeah, if you want to just drop it off you can"

"okay, its on the second floor, room 221"

"Bye"

I rubbed my eyes and looked up at Levi, "who was on the phone?" I asked, yawning. 

"It was Eren" he said, running his fingers through my hair again. "He's gonna drop off his laptop, he doesn't expect it back any time soon. You can go back to sleep hange, I'm sorry I woke you up."

I shook my head and started to sit up, rubbing my eyes and taking the heating pad off my stomach. I set it down on the floor and stretched my arms, "I feel so tired, here" I grabbed my laptop and gave it to Levi, "I should've given you this earlier, watch netflix or something on here"

Levi chuckled, "the netflix I pay for?" 

Rolling my eyes I nodded, opening the laptop and typing in my password. I gave it to Levi and he placed it on his stomach, opening his arms for me to lay back down. I laid my head on his chest again and smiled as he put FRIENDS on, it was my favorite show. I fell asleep to the soft sounds of my favorite show. 

_**Eren** _

It took me forever to finally get dressed and ready to go about my day because nothing seemed to be going right. My hair was a mess, Connie took forever trying to explain to me what he did for the past couple days and my phone died so I had to charge it. Once it charged I called Levi, who was in a rush to get off the phone because Hange was not feeling good. He gets pretty defensive very fast when it comes to her, that I learned today. And after that, I couldn't find my other shoe. And I almost dropped my laptop before I left my room, which made Connie laugh at me and call me a "fucking loser" I just flipped him off and left the building. 

As I was walking to the science housing addition, I saw Mike sitting on a bench with a book in his hands. I decided to stop by, "hey Mike, what's up?"

He looked up at me from where he was sitting and he shrugged, "hey Eren, and nothing much, just reading and enjoying the fresh air. You?"

"Ah, heading to Hange's to drop off my laptop that stopped working for some reason. You wanna come?" I offered.

Mike shook his head no, "nah, I'm gonna stay here. Swing around the dorm sometime Eren, you play xbox?"

I nodded with a smile, "yeah! I'll come over sometime. See you around, Mike, text me!"

"You got it"

I turned and continued my journey to the science housing addition. I typed in the pin number to the building and took the elevator to the second floor. I walked down the hall until I hit room 221 and I typed in the pin number to the room, why are there so many pin numbers in this building? Like jeez. Once the pad turned green I opened the door quietly, stepping and shutting it behind me. I looked to my right and I wanted to coo at the sight in front of me. Levi and Hange were cuddled up on Hanges bed, a laptop on Levi's stomach. His head was lolled to the side, his arms wrapped around Hange, holding her close to him. Hange was snuggled into his side, her arm resting on his small chest. Small snores emitted from the both of them, especially Hange. I quietly set my laptop down on her desk and grabbed pen and a sticky note.

_Hey Hange, I came in and both you and Levi were sound asleep. This is my laptop, like I said, I have no idea what happened to it, one day it just stopped working. Don't rush, I can get it back whenever, thank you so much for taking a look at it, I appreciate it._

_-Eren_

I stuck the sticky note on my closed laptop and grabbed my phone and wallet, turning around to look at the both of them once more. I noticed the laptop was still playing a show they were watching so I tip toed over, pausing the show and closing the laptop. I set it aside and took another look, they both looked so peaceful. I smiled softly and I went to back away slowly, but because I'm clumsy I bumped into the other bed and a phone charger fell to the ground, hitting the tile. I heard shuffling on the bed and I didnt have time to process anything before I heard a scraping sound . I looked up at Hange's bed, seeing Levi holding himself up on one arm and the other wrapped around his friend, a fierce look in his eyes. It took me a moment before I noticed he had a small pocket knife in his hands, outstretched. 

"Holy shit" I breathed out, "Levi, chill, its me"

The glare didn't leave his face as he put the blade away, "sorry" he said, putting the knife away, his arm still tightly wrapped around Hange. 

"Dude, what the fuck? Why do you even have that? You knew I was coming over" I breathed out. 

Levi lowered his voice, "I don't like being woken up"

"Clearly" I ran a hand through my hair, "I left my laptop, I'm going to go before you actually use that knife on me."

"Wait, Eren-"

"If I was someone important you would've been in trouble, you're lucky it was me" I interrupted. "I'll see you around, Levi"

"...bye Eren.." 

I walked out of the room, my phone tight in my hands. Was Levi some sort of psychopath? Why was he carrying around a weapon? Would he really try and use that on me? Or anyone? Just what kind of person was Levi Ackerman? As I walked out of the building my phone buzzed, I looked down at it and read a text from Levi. That was fast. 

To : Eren Yeager

From : Levi Ackerman 

_I didn't mean for you to see that. I'm sorry if that scared you, Eren._

I read the message about three different times, he pulled a knife on me and he sends me something that simple? I sighed and texted Mikasa, asking if she wanted to meet up and talk, I got a response quickly to meet at the diner we went too on our first day here. 

"He what?"

"I'm telling you, he straight up pulled out a knife on me. All I did was drop a phone charger, and he was up in like two seconds with that look in his eyes and a knife pointed at me. It was like he didn't even recognize me for a second, it scared the shit out of me."

Mikasa had that protective look in her eye, she always did over me. She was a couple months older than me, she was my adoptive older sister. Bay City was a hard place to grow up in, I witnessed her kidnapping as a child and I followed the car to an abandoned house. I grabbed the nearest weapon when I broke in, which was a wine bottle and I smashed it over the guys head, knocking him out and taking Mikasa with me back to my own house. When my family reported it to the police, it turns out her family had been killed by the same man and since she didn't have any relatives, my family adopted her. We were only nine years old. 

She frowned, "Eren, you shouldn't be friends with him. He's dangerous"

"Mikasa-"

"I'm serious, everyone we've ever encountered that had a weapon turned out to be a terrible person. Levi is no different. Not only does he carry weapons, he has them on school grounds. He could have pepper spray, but no, he has a knife. Do you know how serious that is? You have to report it to someone" She exclaimed.

I shook my head, "I can't do that.. You should've seen him, sis.. he looked so distraught when I left. I felt so bad"

"He could've killed you, and you're defending him?"

"Yes" I mumbled, dipping my fry in ketchup. "I mean, I scared him and he acted out of self defense."

"Whatever Eren, but if you end up getting stabbed to death, I'm gonna tell you I told you so"

"Going too" I corrected. 

She raised an eyebrow to me, "excuse me?"

"It's going too, not gonna"

"oh I see" She tsked, "mr. english com major and assasin on the side is teaching you some proper grammar?"

"Mikasa-"

"No Eren" she gave me a pointed look, "I'm trying to look after you, don't be friends with this Levi guy, he just sounds like trouble. If you don't take my advice, that's fine, don't call me when he kills you" She stood up from her chair and placed down a twenty dollar bill to pay for our meal. "See you around, Eren"

_Well fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, leave Kudos! <3


	6. T is for Trauma

_**Third Person** _

_"You're a natural, Rivaille" Jeans words coursed through Levis veins, filling him with satisfaction. "Do it again, show me your skills, do it, kill him"_

_The raven didn't think twice, he's been doing this for so long. Levi gripped the knife and stared down at the man in the chair, he owed them money and didn't pay on time. Levi tsked and in the blink of an eye he used his pocket knife given to him by Jean and he sliced the mans throat. He watched the blood seep from the mans throat as he choked out his last breath, and Levi, being the monster he was, wiped the blood off his knife without a care in the world._

_He felt a hand card through his hair and grip it, making him turn around to see his boyfriend. "You, my little raven, are the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on. Fuck" he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Levi's lips, which the younger man greatly returned. "You're going to be with me all the time, just seeing you murder him in cold blood, that look in your eye, it turns me on baby"_

_Levi smirked up at Jean, "oh yeah?"_

_"Yes" Jean groaned, slowly pushing Levi against the wall. "jump" he mumbled. Levi did as he was told and jumped, wrapping his legs around Jeans waist and smiling as his boyfriend held him up. "You want a fix baby?" he asked smoothly, pressing kisses against Levi's neck._

_The younger moaned softly, leaning his head against the wall, completely ignoring the man bleeding out behind them. "yes"_

_"mm" A smack against his hip, making Levi wince. "yes what? Manners, raven"_

_"Yes please" Levi mumbled, closing his eyes. He was still holding the now cleaned up knife._

_"Yeah, I'll take care of ya" Jean smiled and held Levi close to him, "lets head upstairs, yeah?"_

_Levi nodded his head, resting it on Jeans shoulder and allowing the older man to carry him up the stairs._

_"Levi, for fucks sake! Why are you being so stupid, just kill him!"_

_"But I know him! I can't-"_

_"Fine" Jean took his gun out from his pocket and aimed it at Marco, "he's a fucking spy you idiot, he can't be here"_

_Tears welled up in Levis eyes, "Jean, please dont, dont shoot, please!"_

_Jean pushed Levi aside and without another word he aimed the gun at Marco's head, and fired without a care in the world._

_Levi watched from afar as Marcos body fell to the ground, it all seemed to happen so fast. Levi had known the guy since he moved here, he was the first friend Levi made. Marco was homeless, so it's not like anyone would notice that he was missing anyway, that's what Jean told him. Tears fell from Levis eyes as he watch blood ooze out of the bullet wound in Marco's head. His eyes were open, as was his mouth, just emotionless. There was blood everywhere._

_Jean grabbed at the collar of Levi's shirt angrily, shoving him up against the wall harshly. "Are you a fucking pussy, Levi?"_

_"N-No" Levi sniffled, "you didn't have to kill him!"_

_"He was distracting you" Jean glared, "you're my best dealer, Levi, and he was making you soft. You do as I say, do you understand me?"_

_He cried out, "yes sir"_

_Jean sneered and tossed Levi to the ground, "clean that shit up" he ordered, "next time I come down here, try showing me some god damn respect, if you act like that in front of our clients, we're fucked. I'm building you a fucking reputation, Levi, you better own up to it" and he left, leaving Levi to clean up the dead remains of his once best friend._

Levi gasped as he woke up, choking on his own spit and coughing. Hange was quick to react, grabbing her bottle of water and handing it to her best friend. He took a drink from the water bottle and handed it back to her, not saying a thing as he detached himself away from her, rolling over and huddling into himself. This happened sometimes, Levi often got nightmares and he only trusted Hange when it came to taking care of him. He hasn't had one in awhile though. They were still laying in Hange's bed together because of her period cramps, its only been about four house since Eren left the room, but Hange didn't know that, she slept through the whole thing between Eren and Levi. 

"Levi? Hey, I'm here, hun" Hange whispered, not cuddling up against him just yet, he wasn't having a panic attack she doesn't think. He wasn't losing breath, so that was good. "Hey hun, wanna cuddle? I'll put on your favorite nature playlist, the one with the waterfall?"

"please" came a quiet mumble from Levi.

Hange was on it, she unlocked her phone and put on the playlist that calms Levi down the fastest. She turned the volume up and rolled back over, "Can I hold you?" She watched Levi nod his head and let out another quiet sniffle, "oh hun" she whispered softly, being the big spoon as she wrapped her arm around the smaller man's stomach. "please don't cry, you're okay.."

Levi couldn't hold in the sob that came out, or the pitiful whine that followed. The tears finally began to trail down his pale cheeks and his shoulders shook, "Ha.. hange.."

"It's okay, its alright." She comforted, holding him tighter. She was so happy she wasn't having any cramps right now or this would be impossible. "don't cry, sweet boy, it's alright, I'm here for ya."

The noises coming from Levi were heart breaking, his shoulders shook as he buried his face into the pillow both him and his friend shared. He clung into the bed sheets, "Hange, I can't.. he can't.." he hiccuped, going to hold her hand, which Hange let him.

"shh" her own eyes welled up, Levi never told her what these dreams were about, but they had to be pretty bad for the stoic man she knew to break down every couple nights. Her general idea was that it was caused by a guy, but Levi never said a name, he just called this guy _him_ and nothing else. And when she asked, he would tell her he legally could not talk to her about it so she never asked again. "You're safe with me Levi, its you and me, we're in my dorm room, just us. Do you want to call Kenny?" Uncle Kenny always knew what to do and what to say when Levi had these episodes. 

When Levi nodded his head and continued to cry, Hange grabbed Levis phone and unlocked it, calling Kennys number, hoping he would answer. He answered with a happy greeting but Hange went straight to the point" Hey Kenny, its Hange. Levi woke up from a nightmare, I'm gonna put you on speaker so you can talk to him"

_"alright Hange"_ Came Kennys voice. Hange put the phone down in front of Levi and she laid back down, burying her face in Levis hair, caressing his stomach as Kenny began talking to his nephew. 

_"Hey Levi, I hear ya, are you in pain, son?"_

Levi responded with another sob, "Kenny"

_"It's alright kid, I know. I wish there was more I could do for you. How bad huh? what level do you think this one is?"_

"Five" Levi answered as he continued crying, "marco" he whimpered. 

Hange's eyes watered as she held Levi tighter, she didn't know who Marco was, all she knew was that he was Levi's old friend who passed away at a young age.

_"shh, okay Levi, its alright. It was a rough one, huh? Yeah, sounds like it. You said Marco? He was a sweet kid Levi, a very good influence on you. None of that was your fault munchkin, you know who's fault that was. Hange is there with you, are you taking care of her? Protecting her like the best friend you are?"_

"Y-yeah" Levi sniffled. 

_"That's good kid, thats good. She needs ya, which means you have to stay strong, you know that? Have you made any new friends?"_

"a few" Levi replied , his voice sounded more clear since he was starting to calm down. "Annie, Connie, Mikasa, Sasha, E.. Eren" he paused and whimpered, "I scared Eren, Kenny... I can't.." another sob fell from his lips, and Hange furrowed her eyebrows. What happened with him and Eren?

_"Oh Levi, old habits die hard, huh? Listen, you've come so far since then, you understand? I'm so proud of you, and you need to be proud of yourself. I know these nightmares haunt you, and I wish I could take them away, I really wish I could. These make you stronger, you understand? Us Ackermans can make it through anything, we're tough and we protect people we care about, you understand me?"_

"yes" Levi sniffled, calming down once more. "tired" he mumbled.

Kenny chuckled over the line, _"Alright son, get some sleep, sounds like you need it. Thanks for calling me, Hange"_

"No problem, goodnight Kenny"

_"Night y'all, take care"_

Hange hung up the phone and set it aside and went to ask Levi what happened with Eren, but she stopped when she saw Levi had fallen right back asleep, cheeks tear stained and his fingers interlocked with hers. She frowned and laid back down, she pulled the blankets up to their shoulders and sighed, falling back asleep, making a mental note to ask Levi what happened with Eren later. 

Turns out, asking Levi what happened with Eren ended in Levi having a rage fit and Hange had to remind him to be quiet, that he couldn't throw things in a dorm room, that people would hear. She knew Levi has always been a violent person since she's known him, and that he would never hit her, but she always had to be careful. "Levi, would you calm down and talk to me? Stop brooding, that doesn't help with anything."

Levi glared down at her. He was sitting on her bed while she was sitting down at her desk fixing Erens computer, "no"

"Come on" She sighed, "I get that things are complicated, but you've only known him for a week, you couldn't have scared him off already."

"But I did" Levi said softly, looking away from Hanges concerned face. "He probably already hates me"

"I dont hate you, and you once did the same to me. Remember? I snuck up on you the first time I met you and you kicked me in the stomach, and now we're best friends!"

"Yeah, cause you're insane" Levi rolled his eyes, "Eren isn't, Hange I.. I've scared off everyone back home before I switched schools" he admitted, "they saw me as someone violent, like a rabid dog on a leash to.."

When he didnt finish, Hange nodded her head. "I get it, and you don't want Eren seeing you as that way, right?"

Levi nodded his head, "yeah.. I wanted to start over here, I was so excited, and now look at me. School hasn't even started yet, and I already fucked up. Watch him report me to the Dean"

Hange frowned, Eren couldn't do that, would he? "It's gonna be okay Vi, I promise"

Days passed and no communication between Levi and Eren, both of them stayed in their own paths. Right now Levi was gone off to Hange's, they were going out for a walk and while Levi was gone, Mike invited Eren over. The brunette was concerned when he got the invite, but said nothing. Now he was in Levi and Mike's dorm room, sitting next to Mike, playing GTA and talking casual, like they've been friends for years. 

Mike looked over at Eren, "Hey, you know Levi is pretty fucked up right?"

Erens head spun to look over at Mike, "uh... yeah, I guess"

"Right" Mike nodded, "I signed up to be his roommate, did you know that?"

"no" Eren replied, "and why should I?"

Mike sighed, "he's been through a lot of shit, and he's very hard at making friends. I know what happened the other day, and I'm just saying it's not Levi's fault. So don't blame him for the instincts he was forced to have" 

Eren frowned and went to say something but froze when he heard the door open, and in came Levi, who had the usual emotionless look on his face. When he saw Eren his shoulders sagged and he sighed, they locked eyes for a second and the raven turned around, walking out of the room and slamming the door behind him. Eren turned back to Mike, who had a pointed look on his face. "Go be his friend, or at least tell him it's okay, it's eating him up inside."

"Okay" Eren sighed and he stood up, grabbing his phone and walked out of the room. He saw Levi walk into the quiet lounge room and shut he door behind him. He sighed and followed the smaller man, knocking on the door when he arrived to the room. "Levi? It's Eren"

"Go away" came a deep voice from behind the door. 

"Afraid I can't do that, can I come in?"

"No"

"Well too bad" Eren said and he opened the door to see Levi sitting on the chair, his hands in his lap. He didn't even look up at Eren, he just looked down at his hands in his lap. Eren sighed and sat down in the chair next to Levi, making himself comfortable. "I wish I had this room on my floor" Eren spoke.  
  


Levi said nothing, just continued to look at the ground. 

Eren didn't like silence, Levi was killing him. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Levi.. about the other day.."

"I'm sorry" Levi looked up at him, "don't report me, please, I don't want to go home"

"What?" Eren knitted his eyebrows together, "You think I would report you?"

"Did you?"

"No, Levi, fuck" Eren ran a hand down the side of his face, "why would you think I would do that?"

"I pulled a knife on you" Levi stated the obvious, "anyone else would've reported me, and you didn't. Why?"

Eren looked down at the smaller man, "Because Levi, you have the knife for a reason, and it's not to hurt someone on purpose. It's for self defense, isn't it?"

Levi wanted to make a snarky comment but bit his tongue, "yes"

"Then thats what this was" Eren declared, "self defense"

"So what, we're cool now? Eren, I could've _killed_ you, are you stupid?" Levi glared at him.

The taller of the two didnt cower under the glare, "but you didn't, Levi, I'm not going to stop being your friend because of this. We've known each other for a little over a week, I've known Connie since fifth grade and the only interesting thing that happened between us was him wetting the bed. Look, I'm just saying I've seen a lot of things happen, and I know if you're carrying a weapon all the time due to self defense, then I'm correct to assume that you've been through some tough crap and you're still healing, am I right"

Levi frowned and looked away from Eren, "yeah.."

Eren smiled softly, putting a hand on Levi's shoulder. "Then you've got nothing to worry about"

"Eren"

"Yes?"

"If you dont get your hand off of me, I will use that knife on you right now."

Eren laughed and took his hand off Levi's shoulder, nodding. "Noted"


	7. Climax Of The Idiot : Eren Yeager Edition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little note : there will be french and german language, maybe some spanish. I took five years of french in high school and college, and my step family speaks german. However, its been a year since ive been in school so most of the speaking will be google translate, so if you wish to correct me, please do. I know the translations aren't correct most times.

_**Three weeks later** _

School started the next week, Hange had fixed and returned Erens laptop before classes started up. Levi had picked out his classes, and it turns out with all of his credits he earned because of advanced placement classes he took, he didn't have to take most of the general education classes. He easily tested out of them over the summer, which lead to him only taking a math class, which was the only gen ed class he needed. His other classes turned out to be strictly based on writing, grammar, and psych classes. He tested out of introduction to psychology, so he went straight into abnormal psych, which is what he desired to take anyway. Levi was always good at school, even with all he's been through, he always made sure he succeeded, it was the least he could do for his uncle. 

He'd gotten in touch with Erwin multiple times, seeing how his friend was doing. Turns out Erwin had a couple more months until he graduated from the police academy, and he was really excited about it. He also had a special someone in his life now, he had officially asked Armin out to be his boyfriend, in which Levi replied that it took long enough. Levi had gotten in touch with Kenny every day to check in on how he was doing, in which Kenny jokingly replied to fuck off and focus on school. 

The group of friends have also gotten closer together, they even started hanging out individually instead of a group. Hange and Sasha spent a lot of time together, they invite Connie over multiple times. Mike was more of an introvert, he focused on his classes and hung out with either Levi, Hange, or some of his friends from his classes that Levi didn't know about. Eren and Levi had gotten closer too, which Hange was almost too happy about. She constantly went on about how Eren was some hot piece of meat, in which Levi would roll his eyes in disgust. 

Both boys had agreed to never being up the knife incident again. Levi and Mikasa pretended to like each other, Levi didn't have a problem with her but she didn't like him. It was kind of understandable, so Eren just told her to pretend to like him. Levi had learned that Eren was not one to favor weapons, gore too. They had a movie night and Eren closed his eyes when a murder scene came on, which made Levi laugh at him. A real laugh, and all Eren could do was widen his eyes and stare at him. He had actually never heard Levi laugh for real before. 

"that's so gross" Eren had said, closing his eyes and looking away from the TV. 

The smaller man looked over at Eren and he couldn't keep in the laugh, _if only you knew what I've done._ "You're such a priss"

Things had really turned around for the both of them. Eren helped Levi in his math class, and in return, Levi helped Eren in his english class that he hated so much. They learned more things about each other too. Levi learned that Eren was a part of the academic team at his high school, and he also had his share in playing football and soccer. His favorite food was some German dish and- oh, Levi also learned that Eren can speak a decent amount of german, as could Mikasa. He had caught the two of them speaking the other language at times when they would all hang out together in the dorms or at the diner, which had become the selected hang out place for all of them. Turns out that Eren was eighteen years old, his birthday being on March 30th. His favorite color was blue, he was very flamboyant and happy, he loved comedy and romance movies, and he was very messy and that distressed Levi to his core. 

Eren had also come to know more things about the raven. Like how he knew how to speak french! He had asked Levi many times to speak it but he never did it when asked, just when he would accidentally hurt himself or he got frustrated on homework. He learned that Levi was eighteen and his birthday was on Christmas, but he never really made it a big deal. Just by watching him, he learned his friend had a very colorful vocabulary. He learned Levi liked to stay inside, with the exception of going to the diner or cafe and getting some tea, which he liked black. Levi was terrible at math, Eren was terrible at english, they were literally opposites. He also learned Levi knew self defense, he told Eren he took classes, but Eren knew some of his techniques were not what was taught in self defense because he himself took self defense classes all his life. Levi held his knife backwards, and he was quick and dirty. 

He remembered sitting down and talking to Hange one day to talk about Levi, because Eren had been concerned. He had noticed Levi brought his knife with him wherever he went, and whenever Eren had asked, Levi would not so politely tell him to fuck off. So, to get answers, he went to Hange. 

"Not sure what to tell you, Eren" Hange said while she worked on her homework. "He's been like that since I've met him."

"But why?" Eren asked as he leaned against the chair he sat on, "No normal person pulls a knife on someone"

She huffed and turned to him, "Well Levi's been through some tough stuff, he had to grow up too fast like the rest of us. But he.. just wait for him to tell you, if he ever does. It took months for him to explain to me even a single detail of his past, so have fun with that."

Eren had rolled his eyes at that, "He's already told me to fuck off"

"Not telling you how to live your life, but you might wanna do that" she said, "if you push him too far, he'll lash out."

He remembered those words every time he spoke with the little raven, and the more they hung out, the more Hange's words made since. He steered clear on asking about Levis past and started talking to him about his future, hoping by doing that, he would gain Levi's trust a little bit more. He has, but Levi wouldn't ever telling him that. Truth is, Eren liked Levi a lot. He liked how the smaller man was more quiet and reserved, how he forgot his contacts some days so he would have to wear his black framed glasses, which made him look older. 

Just like Eren, Levi liked Eren too. He didn't know why, he really should be focusing on school, but his social life revolved mainly around Eren. They were always texting each other, calling each other, sometimes on facetime when it was after visiting hours in the dorms. Eren had gotten Levi to play some video games, and Levi had gotten Eren to learn how to shut up because he talked too much. But Eren started to grow on him, he really has. It scared Levi how quickly he let Eren in, but it also excited him. Eren was happy, fun, he was exciting and he loved to do crazy shit. 

"Eren what the hell.. _file de pute_!" (son of a bitch) Levi called out, he was on a light up bridge Eren had convinced him to climb. And boy, was this bridge high. It went over a river and under them were cars driving, and under that road was a body of water.

"Levi for the millionth time" Eren laughed when he saw Levi struggle. "I can't understand a word you say when you speak french"

Levi glared and called out over the cars that drove below them, " _Je me'en fous"_ (I don't give a fuck)

"Whatever you said probably was not very nice" Eren saw the smaller man roll his eyes, "You're so mean Levi"

"You got me on this bridge! You're mean!" Levi yelled, a small smile ghosting his face. 

Erens face brightened as he slowly stood up, "you're just a coward"

Levi's eyes widened when he watched Eren stand, yeah, that was not very safe. Was this idiot trying to get himself killed? "Eren for the love of all thats holy, watch your ass. If you fall I doubt I can carry you to the nearest hospital."

"Dude, you're ripped under those clothes" Eren smiled and carefully walked over the bridge, catching Levi glaring at him. "Oh shut up, we've slept in each others dorm"

The smaller man could not deny that, they've switched roommates a couple nights. And when they're changed, Levi could not ignore how delicious Erens body looked. Just like him, Eren was ripped. His arms were on a whole other level, for a math major, Eren was fucking hot. Since then they had both attended the gym on campus, and every morning before their ten am classes start, they'd head to the gym five days a week. Hange had recently joined going, but she was more of a yoga girl so her and Sasha did yoga on another part of the gym. 

A loud bang brought Levi out of his thoughts and he looked over to see Eren sliding through the metal holes of the bridge, hanging on them like money bars. "come on Levi!"

"Are you crazy? You stupid fuck!" Levi yelled out, hearing some cars honking at them. He laughed, a smile coating his face.

Eren looked up, smiling when he saw the grin on his friend's face. "Come on, slide through and hang, we'll climb them like money bars! It'll be fun"

Levi rolled his eyes, "you're such a child" he breathed out and agreed, "okay just.. don't move"

Eren watched Levi slide through the hole slowly, and when he almost fell Eren had wrapped his arm around the smaller mans waist and hoisted him up. "grab the bars" he said with a cautious look on his face, and Levi nodded, muttering about him punching Eren if he ever touched him again. That's one thing Eren hated, that Levi got angry when someone besides Hange touched him. He watched Levi grab the bar and hang just like he did, and he watched Levi's slight fear fall back and a smile coated his face. This is the most expression he'd seen his friend display since he's met him. They've known each other for a little over a month now. 

"I bet I can cross this bridge faster than you just like this" Levi challenged. 

"Ha!" Eren laughed, "you're on, you little fucker!"

"one"

"Two"

"three!"

Both boys laughed and yelled as they made their was across the bridge, ignoring all the cars driving from underneath them. It was night, somewhere between midnight and one in the morning so the moon was shining bright along with the stars. The reflection of the water shined bright, and the lights on the bridge made everything so much more colorful. Wind rushed past the two boys as they quickly swung their bodies to get across the bridge faster. Levi succeeded in making it across and he smiled in victory when he dropped down, his feet touching the ground. "Ha! Told you I'm fast!"

When he didn't hear a response Levi looked up, making a noise in curiosity. His slim and dark eyes widened when he saw Eren, he had gotten himself stuck. "oi, brat! Come on down!"

Eren frowned and looked down at Levi, who's smile had faded into a look of concern. He gulped, he really didn't mean to get stuck. His hands were slipping from the amount of sweat on his palms and he pulled himself back. Once he mustered up enough strength he swung forward, but his hands let go of the bar too soon. "shaisha!" (shit!)

The ravens instincts kicked in faster than one could blink, Eren was falling a good twelve feet from the ground, and the worse part? He hadn't made it past the cars, which means if he fell straight down, he would fall into the farthest car lane. As Eren fell to the ground, Levi ran into the road, holding his hand out to the car driving a good fifty miles an hour or so. Levi did not flinch, he didn't give the car a second look, he didn't have time. He just assumed the car would stop, which, gladly, it did with a loud honk of the horn and a screech from the tires. "Stop the car!" he had yelled.

Eren thought he was going to land flat on the ground, but at the last second he saw Levi's extended arm and he reached for it, gripping the ravens shoulder tight and landing on his feet. As soon as his left foot landed on the pavement he groaned, feeling pain shoot up his ankle and the back of his leg. _That's gonna be sore,_ he sighed to himself. 

Levi winced at the hard grip on his shoulder and he turned to Eren, "Hey, you okay?"

"Fine" Eren replied shortly, "let's get out of the road"

Levi nodded and wrapped his arm around Erens waist, the taller of the two wrapping his arm around Levi's shoulder. They made their way out of the road and Levi held Eren tight, eyes moving back and forth. He needed Eren safe, no cars, no people, does he need a hospital? Levi looked down at Eren's foot that he limped on, it's not broken, thank God. They both made their way off of the bridge and Levi spotted a bench, he sighed in relief and lead Eren over to it, who was making small noises of pain along the way. He set Eren down and took off his jacket, propping Eren's foot up on it. Both of them didn't say a word as Levi took off Eren's shoe, Levi because he was concentrating, Eren because he was still shocked from the small man literally stopping traffic for his dumbass to fall. 

It was silent for a couple minutes before Levi breathed out in relief, "it's not broken because you can walk on it, not fractures thank God, it's a minor sprain. We'll have to ice it when we get back to housing" he instructed. "Now, since I know you're going to be okay" He smacked Eren in the back of the head, frowning when Eren groaned. 

"Whaaat" 

"You idiot!" Levi growled, "What the hell were you thinking? You could've been killed!"

"Oh? Do you care about me, Levi?" Eren teased, "have I broken through your hard ass shell?"

Levi glared and rolled his eyes, he put Erens shoe back on and sat down on the bench, "asshole"

Eren gave Levi a half smile, "Thanks, by the way, for uh... literally stopping that car from hitting me"

"It's no big deal" Levi said nonchalantly as he took out his phone, sending Hange a text to come pick them up. She had his car keys because she and Sasha went to the mall. 

"No big deal? Dude, I saw you" Eren raised an eyebrow, "You didn't even hesitate, you stepped right in front of that car like you knew it would stop for you. I couldn't have done that"

Levi frowned, "Didn't want you to get hurt, you brat"

Wind blew, ruffling the boys' hair. Eren stared at Levi like he couldn't be real, this man wasn't even shaking? He just faced a whole car head on because of him, and boy did Eren feel bad. Levi could've gotten killed because he lost his grip. "I'm sorry"

"Don't be" Levi looked at Eren from the corner of his eye, "I'm just glad you're safe"

"Yeah.."

Hange showed up around twenty minutes later, having some trouble finding them so Levi sent her their location. She parked on the side of the road and got out, "Oh goodness! Eren are you okay?!" She yelled and ran over to them, concern in her eyes when she saw Eren's foot. "the hell happened?"

Eren had started to doze off, so Levi replied. "I'll explain on our way back, but we gotta get Erens foot wrapped and iced. My jacket can only do so much" he nodded towards his jacket he had put under Eren's foot. 

"Got'cha" Hange said with a small smile. Her and Levi helped Eren off of the bench, the younger man laughing off the pain when they got him in the car. Levi got in the drivers seat with Hange in the passengers seat. He put the car in drive and the three made their way towards the academic housing, not bothering to go to the nurse. Levi has a first aid kid, he's treated so much worse, a sprained ankle is nothing. 

Once they arrived, Levi shut off the car and Eren put each of his arms around Hange and Levi, allowing them to help him inside. Levi used his key card to get in the building, into the elevator, and into his own room. They walked in and Levi saw Mike wasn't there. "On the bed" Levi instructed, and while Hange sat Eren on the bed, he grabbed his first aid kit. 

"So" Hange began when Levi came back with the first aid kit, dealing with Eren's foot. "What happened?"

"We climbed on Maria bridge. I suggested we should have a race to get to the other side the fastest and I kinda lost my grip because my hands were sweaty. If it weren't for Levi this big car would've hit me straight on" Eren explained, watching Levi carefully wrap his foot. "He's fucking insane, he just ran in front of the car, held a hand out to signal for the car to stop and watched me fall. Me, not the car that was coming towards him at like what, fifty miles an hour? And you know what he told me? He said he assumed that it would stop"

"I would rather it hit me than you, I had no choice you brat, so shut up"

That surprised Hange, because Levi wouldn't do that for anyone else. If it were anyone else, Levi would just let them get hit. He wouldn't put himself in direct danger for anyone besides her, Kenny, and maybe Erwin. That means her friend was slowly coming to like Eren more and more, which excited her. Maybe Levi didn't realize this, but he was starting to fall for Eren and Hange could see it. It made her happy, it really did. She felt proud of him. Her little introvert Levi was falling in love, even though he didn't know it yet. 

Hange just laughed a bit, "Levi, you need to be more careful"

"Okay _mom_ " Levi rolled his eyes and looked at Hange, his face softening. "Didn't mean to make you worry"

"It's fine, short stack" She smiled down at him, "hey, can I use your car to drive myself back to my housing? It's night and I don't wanna walk alone"

"Go for it" Levi tossed her his keys, "goodnight Hange, see ya later"

"Bye Hange" Eren waved to her. 

"Bye you too, don't do stupid stuff!"

"No promises"

Hange left the room, which left Eren and Levi in the room together, alone. "I'll put on a movie, you grab some snacks?" Eren suggested, "looks like I won't be able to walk for a bit, can I stay here?"

"Tch, I don't care" Levi said, handing Eren the tv remote. He went to his his mini fridge and opened the freezer, taking out an ice pack and a couple snacks from the fridge. He walked back to his bed and frowned, it was small. _Dammit,_ Levi scowled to himself, _whatever, I'm too tired for this shit._ He crawled back on his bed and saw down against his wall, putting a pillow between his back and the wall. He propped Erens feet on his lap, holding the ice on his bad foot. 

Eren gave him a questioning look, "what happened to punching me if I touched you?"

"You're not touching me, I'm touching you, theres a difference" Levi said, not looking at Eren. "Pick a movie yet?"

"Yeah, the hangover" He said and pressed play, demanding Levi to pass him some snacks. 

Halfway through the movie Levi had started to doze off, his head falling forward a couple times, which Eren noticed. He snuck side glances at his friend, watching Levi's grip slowly loosen on the ice pack on his foot. He smiled softly, he was getting tired too. He felt bad for taking over Levi's bed, it must be uncomfortable leaning against the wall like that. His back was going to hurt tomorrow morning if he stayed like that. Eren looked over to Mike's bed, but went against his idea of sleeping in it because he doesn't think the tall blonde man would like that very much. 

As the movie continued, Levi's eyes finally closed. He let go of the ice pack, which fell onto the bed. Eren smiled softly and he turned down the volume of the movie, "Levi? You asleep?"

"Mm" Levi hummed.

"I can move to another bed?"

"No" Levi said, "just go to sleep Eren, I'm fine"

Eren frowned but listened to Levi, nonetheless. He closed his eyes and sighed, getting as comfortable as he could while laying on his back. 

Eren chose not to acknowledge how he woke up to Levi laying down next to him, cuddled into his side the next morning.

But he _maybe_ inwardly jumped with joy. 


	8. This Is Why I Don't Socialize

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why, but it was hard for me to concentrate and write this chapter lol  
> hopefully you all like it, enjoy!

_**October** _

"It's getting cold out" Hange breathed out, pulling her jacket closer to her body. 

"Well, we're not in Long Beach anymore" Levi shivered next to her, copying her actions. 

They had just finished with their classes for the day, both shivering in the cold October air. They both didn't even think that it would be cold out, since they both grew up in the warm California weather. Levi and Hange didn't even think to buy a winter coat because they're never needed one, they've never even seen snow, come to think of it. Hange looked over at Levi, who had his hands stuck in his pocket. "Think we should go buy a coat or something?"

He nodded, "yeah, theres a mall somewhere around here" he said, grabbing the keys to his car. "Pull it up on your phone and give me the directions, I'll drive."

Cold air bristled as the two made their way to the closest mall, which honestly did not look like much. Levi pulled into the parking lot and shut the car off, locking his car after the two got out and walked into the mall at a fast pace to try and avoid the cold. When they walked inside they looked around, "Not as big as the one in Cali, huh?" she asked, looking around. 

"Tch, it's fine" Levi replied, "let's go our separate ways, shoot me a text when you've bought yourself a coat"

"Deal!" Hange smiled and they both went in different directions. 

While Levi was looking at himself in the mirror, trying on a nice black winter coat, his phone buzzed. He sighed and took it from his pocket, seeing it was a text from Eren.

To : Levi Ackerman

From : Eren Yeager 

_Hey Vi! There's a Halloween party on Friday, not sure if you saw the postings for it or not but I just found a flyer in our housing. Are you going?_

He frowned and raised an eyebrow. _A party?_ He questioned, he hasn't been to a party before. At least, not since he was with Jean. Levi hummed to himself, deciding to take a shot at this Halloween party thing. Letting loose for a night might do him some good. 

To : Eren Yeager 

From : Levi Ackerman 

_Yeah sure, send me a picture of the flyer and I'll send it over to Hange. I'm sure she'll enjoy it._

Eren replied with a picture of the flyer and he forwarded it to Hange right away, shoving his phone in his pocket. He then took off the coat, frowned when he saw the price, and then proceeded to check out. He handed the cashier cash, he never used his card, paranoid that one day Jean would track him down. He wouldn't blame him, Levi was a huge asset to his gang. He had told Levi he loved him, but he was sure the only thing Jean cared about was the money. That's all he cared about..

_Levi was sitting on the couch in the living room of Jeans home, smoking a joint while laying his head back, relaxing. It's been a rough couple of days, having to deal with Kenny being gone in rehab was taking a lot out on sixteen year old Levi. Jean had kept him company though, and today was no different. Today was an easy day, no deals, no fights, no nothing. Jean did all the planning, all Levi had to do was show up. Like a rabid dog on a leash. Speaking of Jean, the older man walked down the stairs of his home and over to Levi, not bothering to be stealthy or quiet, and he ruffled his boyfriends hair. "Well hey there raven" He smiled, plugging the joint from Levi's mouth and taking his own drag._

_"Tch" Levi rolled his eyes and looked up at Jean, "Just finished rolling that"_

_"For me I hope" Jean said, noticing how red Levi's eyes were. He smirked, watching Levi's eyes fall shut when his fingers carded through the younger boys' hair. He walked over and sat down next to Levi, putting an arm around him. "You know, every one else seems to like you"_

_Levi raised an eyebrow and looked at Jean, "what, they all of a sudden want to be buddy buddy with me now? Thought they hated me"_

_"Well, you're certainly not the nicest person"_

_"Ah? And you are?"_

_Jean frowned and smacked the back of Levi's head, "watch your mouth, runt"_

_The raven frowned and rolled his eyes, "I'm just saying"_

_"Yeah, and I'm just saying" Jean mumbled, "You're a good asset to us, so I told them you're staying with us. You're a natural at dealing, babe"_

_Levi grabbed the joint from Jean and took a drag, "you sure you're not keeping me here because of a good blow?"_

_Jean rolled his eyes, "can't you just appreciate what I'm doing for you?"_

_"Hm" Levi frowned, flicking the ash. "Guess so"_

_I had no idea what he was planning to do with me,_ Levi thought to himself. Jean had him fooled in the beginning, he thought the guy really loved him. But why else would Jean keep him around? Levi only wished he could've realized that sooner before shit went down a year and a half later. 

He shuttered and grabbed his coat and the receipt, leaving the store. He sent Hange a quick text to meet him by the malls exit, and he walked silently towards his destination, tugging on his new coat.

Back at Erens dorm room, him and Connie were talking about the party. "So" Connie began, "did you invite your man to come along?"

Eren rolled his eyes while he laid in his bed, playing a game on his phone. "yes I did, is there a problem with that?"

"No" Connie said, he was at his desk working on a psych essay about PTSD, typing away on his laptop. "I'm just saying, you two get along really well. I think you should go for it man, he looks like he hates everyone else but when it comes to you, its different."

Eren couldn't deny that things have been different between the two of them since the night at Maria bridge. Ever since Levi saved him, they've been pretty much at each others's side. Levi wasn't as guarded around him like he was when they first met, sure, he insulted him to the point Eren was filled with rage, but for some reason he could never be mad at the smaller man. Not when he made fun of the way Eren wrote his essays, or when he constantly had to save Eren from pulling some dangerous stuff. "You think so?"

"Yeah man" Connie turned around and looked at Eren, "he totally likes you, and I know you like him too. You're too easy to read."

"Hm" Eren shrugged his shoulder and looked over at Connie when he lost at his game. "Hey, the party is in two days, do you know what you're going as?"

"A cowboy!" Connie laughed, "or maybe Indiana Jones, that mans pretty cool. You?"

"Not sure yet, I'll figure it out eventually" His stomach rumbled, "want to go grab some food? My dad sent me some cash"

"I'm down, let's go"

They decided to stop at the diner they usually went too, but stopped before they walked inside. "Is that Levi and Mike?" Connie asked when they got out of the car.

And sure enough, it was Levi and Mike sitting on one of the smoking area benches, seemingly in a deep conversation by the emotionless look on Levi's face and the blank look on Mikes. He watched a Levi flicked the ashes of whatever he was smoking, bringing it to his lips and taking a drag, blowing the air out. He looked small next to mike, who was easily over six foot. He was taller than Eren, maybe like three inches or so. Eren frowned, since when did Levi smoke anyway?

Levi must've known someone was staring at him because he turned his head, his sharp gaze meeting Erens. He was wearing dark black skinny jeans along with his usual dark brown boots, he had a thick black coat on and he was wearing fingerless gloves. He held what he was smoking tight in his hands, his black bangs slowly falling in front of his eyes. His expression didn't change when he saw his friend, he just stared. He felt like the air was tense between them all of a sudden, and he didn't know why. Was Levi upset?

Eren frowned, keeping his gaze with his friend. He raised his hands and waved, Levi seemed just fine when he texted him about the party yesterday. 

To his surprise, Levi waved back. It wasn't long before he turned and talked with Mike again, completely disregarding Eren and Connie.

"Well that was rude" Connie said while they began walking inside the diner, "and since when did Levi smoke?"

Eren shrugged, "not sure"

They walked inside the diner and sat down by the window seat on a bar stool, ordered their food and talked among themselves. From school to life back at home, which, turns out, both boys did not miss at all. They liked it here, there was wilderness and beautiful scenery, while back at home there was close to nothing and plenty of cold and snow. It was a little warmer here, but not by much. Connie guessed that pretty soon there would be snow fall, Eren bet that snow would come next month or so. They ate in silence for awhile eating once their food arrived. 

The taller boys thoughts wandered to Levi as he ate. He took his phone out of his pocket and sent Levi a text, asking him if everything was alright. He set his phone on the counter and continued eating, groaning at how fast Connie was eating his food. "You're gross"

"And you aren't?" Connie licked one of his fingers, "dude, you have no room to talk."

"Yeah whatever: Erens phone dinged and he looked down at it, seeing it was a text from Levi. 

To : Eren Yeager

From : Levi Ackerman

_Everything is fine, brat. Mind your business_

Eren frowned and began typing when another text came through.

To : Eren Yeager

From : Levi Ackerman

_Thanks for checking in though, see you at the party_

Friday rolled around rather quickly for everyone. Professors didn't assign a lot of work for the weekend because they knew of the Halloween party that was happening this weekend. Word gets around this college fast, apparently. Most classes dismissed early, which means the housing grounds were flooded with people. The party was hosted at the delta frat house down the road, which was about a ten minute drive without any traffic. It was cold, maybe around fifty degrees at most. Most students now wore sweatshirts and coats, like Hange, Levi, and Mike, they were constantly bundled up since they came from the warm state of California. 

Both Levi and Hange were in Hange's dorm, Levi was getting ready with Sasha and his best friend. Hange had begged Levi to put eyeliner on him, saying it'll "make his eyes more sharp" and he couldn't say no to his friend. So he sat there on Hange's bed, his legs criss crossed while Hange put eyeliner on him. Sasha was sitting at her desk putting on her costume, while shuffling through her music that played on her speaker, she eventually decided on some rap album that recently came out. 

"Eek! Oh now this, this is good. Sasha, doesnt this look good?" Hange squealed.

Sasha laughed, "aw, Levi, you look so cute!"

"Tch, I'm not cute"

"I should be a make up artist instead"

Hange took it upon herself to help Levi with his outfit, she dressed him as a vampire. She herself was a mad scientist, which wasn't too far off from her personality, while Sasha had decided to go as Regina George from mean girls, which she declared as her favorite movie. Levi just huffed, allowing Hange to put whatever on his face. He was wearing his usual black jeans, now black shoes, red and black leather jacket, the only thing different was his hair had product in it and he had fake vampire teeth put in. Hange had a white coat that scientists wore and some goggles she took from one of her lab classes. Her hair was in her classy pony tail, just a bit more messy than usual. 

The three finished getting ready and loaded themselves into Levi's car, blasting music on their way to the delta house. Levi insisted on driving because he "couldn't stand the fucking cold" as he put it, and the two women didn't object, they were freezing as well. He pulled into the nearest parking lot and stuffed his keys in his pocket. As they walked up to the house they could hear music booming from the large house, there were plenty of students sitting around the house, bottles of booze everywhere and the smell of whatever drugs roamed the air. It really reminded Levi of his past.

No time to think about that now, Levi thought to himself as he walked inside the frat house with Hange and Sasha at his side. "Well" Levi spoke, "This outta be fun"

Turns out college parties felt just like the ones back home in California, Levi thought as he took another swig of whatever was handed to him by Sasha. He was sitting on the counter in the kitchen with her as they ate some snacks, Hange had found some other friend and excused her self a little while ago. Levi had gotten the munchies and followed Sasha to the kitchen because wherever she went, there was food, and a lot of it. They both sat on the counter next to each other, sharing a big bowl of nachos they had found, talking to each other. 

"These are bomb" Sasha mumbled, leaning back against the cabinets. 

Levi hummed in agreement, "god yes" and he grabbed more, stuffing his face. 

"Oh, I think I drank too much" She put a hand on her stomach. 

"Gross" Levi cringed, as he took another sip of his drink. "if you puke, puke that way"

Sasha laughed and ate another nacho, "noted, mr vampire"

"miss priss"

"shorty"

"loud mouth"

The two of them bickered together for the next couple minutes before Levi was passed a drink by a new friend of us and Hange's named Ymir. He thanked her and she just smiled, walking back to her girlfriend, Historia. Levi looked down at the drink and drank it, eyes widening when he tasted it, a memory coming back to him.

_"Levi!" A drunken Isabel called out as she collided into the rave. "Big bro, this stuff is so good! How did you afford it?"_

_"Your big bro here knows how to swing a deal" Jean smirked, wrapping his arm around Levi's waist._

_Furlan hummed quietly to himself in disapproval, he knew the things Jean put Levi through. He had no idea why Levi agreed to those things though, him and Isabel could take care of most of those runs themselves. "here" he passed Levi the cigar he had, "you look like you need it more than me"_

_Levi hummed and took it, taking a drag. "How far are we with Reiner? Anyone get a hold of Bertholt?"_

_Isabel shook her head, "nah, he's an antisocial loser" she said, taking another swig of he crown royale liquor. It was quite expensive, but Levi wouldn't tell them that._

_"Go figures" Levi rolled his eyes, ruffling Isabels hair. "You like the drink?"_

_"Like it? It's so good! Can we get more sometime?"_

_Levi inwardly winced, but nodded nonetheless, anything for her. "Of course"_

Levi brought the drink away from his lips, he missed them. Isabel and Furlan, he wondered where they were now. Are they still with Jean? Did they make enough money to leave? He sighed and looked over at Sasha, who was very focused on her bowl of nachos, but had scooted closer towards the sink in case she puked. He gave her a small smile that was barely noticeable and set his drink down, finally feeling the affect of the blunt he had about twenty minutes ago with Ymir and Historia. 

He was so out of it he didn't even bother reacting to the hand that placed itself on his shoulder, he kept his eyes shut, mumbling out a small, "what?"

"Well well well, don't you look rather hot tonight, mr. Ackerman?" 

Levi opened his eyes to see a smiling, red faced Eren with a drink in his hand. He was dressed as a prince with a fake crown on his head and wow, did he look.. he looked hot. He smiled softly, "you don't look too bad yourself" he flirted back, his head still against the cabinets. 

"Something tells me you've had a little bit to drink" Eren laughed, "come with me to the dance floor, put that liquor to use"

"Oh no" Levi straightened up and leaned halfway on Eren, getting dizzy. "See, I don't dance-"

"You said the same thing about getting your picture taken, now you are my own personal male model" Eren rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his drink, he was right. 

Levi sighed, "I'm easily pressured"

"Noted" Eren smiled brighter, "Come on, I didn't invite you just for you to eat all the snacks, dance with me Vi"

"Fine, fine" Levi said, grabbing onto Erens shoulder so he could jump back on the ground. "Hange is probably dancing her heart out by now"

"Yeah, I lost Connie awhile ago" Eren admitted, "he's probably out back, there's a bonfire back there and someone with a guitar"

"Sounds boring" Levi said.

Eren looked down at the raven, a smile ghosting his face. "Yeah, boring, now" he downed the rest of his drink and tossed his cup to the floor and held his hand out to Levi. "Show me what you can do, Mr. Ackerman"

Maybe it was how badly he handled his liquor or his high had started to settle in, he didn't know. But Levi totally forgot about his hatred of being touched, because he easily let Eren grab him from behind and both boys moved along to the music, Levi grinding against the younger boy. And for the first time in awhile, he was acting like Jean never even existed, like he never fell victim to gang involvement as a teen. His body flowed easily to the beat of the music, most of it rap that Levi was familiar with only because of Sasha. 

The house was dimly lit, a poorly set up disco ball in the middle of the dance floor that also looked poorly set up too. They probably kept the lights lowered to cover up their bad job at setting up, Levi had thought to himself as he continued to dance. There were many people around them, sweaty bodies dancing along to the sexual party songs playing on the speakers that were scattered around the frat house. Someone was passing out red plastic shot glasses with a drink in them and Eren reached over his dance partner, grabbing two shots, and handed one of them to Levi. "here" he whispered in Levi's ear.

"Thanks" Levi smiled and he turned to face Eren, not minding the hand that stayed placed on his hip. He raised the shot glass towards Eren. "on three, brat"

"Ha" Eren smiled and they both counted to three, gulping down the shots in one go. Eren pulled away, laughing when he saw Levi's face. "too much for ya?"

"Shut up" Levi glared up at him and his face changed when the next song came on, slow and sensual. He took his and Erens shot cups and tossed them to the side, not looking away from Eren's red rimmed green eyes. Eren watched as the cups fell to the floor, noticing the change in Levis attitude, he was about to say something when Levi shushed him. "shut up, let me show you how to dance, Yeager"

And wow, did the raven mean it when he said he knew how to dance. Levi easily blended in with everyone else dancing with the moves he was putting out, slow and sexual, staring straight into Erens eyes. It was a whole other side of Levi that Eren had never seen before, how smoothly Levi moved instead of the harsh jabs he usually saw from his friends. The angry look in his eyes was gone, his eyes red rimmed, matching his flushed face. His hair that once had product in it was starting to let loose due to sweating from the amount of people that were in the room. Eren enjoyed the show, allowing his selfish hands to ravish Levi's body, and just like Levi, he let the alcohol handle all of his actions, he just let go and fell victim to the beat of the music. 

Hange made her way back from the bathroom, giggling from all the alcohol she took in. She had her arm around Connie, both of them laughing as they stumbled. She looked over at the dance floor and couldn't believe her eyes, was.. was that Levi? Grinding against Eren? Levi had a joint in his hands while Eren had a drink in his, she raised an eyebrow curiously. They were both obviously too far gone, and she wanted to laugh. She couldn't wait to tell him about this tomorrow. 

Levi rose from his knees, trailing his hands up Eren's body and finally standing back up. He smiled slyly, seeing the flushed look on his face. "You alright there, prince?"

Eren didn't know what to say, all he did was let out a chuckle and removing his crown and placing it on Levi's head, watching it slightly fall because Levi's head was smaller than his. "You, sir, are quite a natural"

It was like time stopped for Levi, _"you're a natural, my little raven"_ Jeans voice rang through his head. He froze, eyes widening. What was he doing? Why was Eren touching him? He stepped back away from Eren, why was _he_ touching Eren? 

The taller boy noticed the change and acted fast, despite the raging amount of alcohol in his system. "Vi? You okay?" he asked, concern flowing through him. 

Levi's hands began to shake, _"you're a natural"_ he looked around frantically, _"such a good boy, now, kill him!"_

_"kill him Levi! Show me the monster that I know you are!"_

Eren couldn't get a word in before Levi turned swiftly, the crown falling from his head and making his way out of the house. He watched as his friend walked out of the open front door, stunned. _Was it something I said? What did I do? Did I just ruin my chances with him?_

Luckily for Levi, Hange saw him walk out, shaking and pale as a ghost. She excused herself from her friends and went after him. when she walked outside she saw Levi was fumbling in his pocket, probably trying to find his keys. He was walking quickly to his car and she ran after him. "Hey, Levi!" When he didn't turn, she frowned. "Levi Ackerman I hope you're not wanting to drive home drunk! I'll hurt you!"

He stopped and turned around and to Hange's surprise, his eyes were glossed over in tears that haven't fallen yet. "Leave me alone" he said quietly, "please.."

_"Good job Levi, now.. finish the job. His throat is open, slit it"_

"Levi!" Levi looked over, seeing Eren run out of the house. He looked more composed now, he had a water bottle in his hand and he caught up to him and Hange. "Hey" he said, jogging past Hange and over to the smaller man, "you ran out, are you okay?"

"I.." He didn't know what to say, legally he couldn't say anything and it made him angry. He wished things were different. 

Eren eyes him suspiciously, "Levi? I think it's time for you to go home.. come on, I'll take ya" he looked back at Hange, "that okay?"

"Yeah" Hange gave them a small smile, "I'll head back inside and get a ride home from someone else, take care of him Eren" she said and turned, walking back in the house.

"Alright" Eren turned around, "now-"

Levi wasn't next to him anymore, but it didn't take long for Eren to find him. He ran forward to see Levi leaning against his car, one hand on the hood as he leaned over, coughing. Eren frowned as he caught up to him, he put his arm around Levi's waist, "hey-"

The raven glared and tried to push Eren away, but he was too intoxicated. "go away" he sneered.

Eren frowned, "no. I'm not leaving, you can't drive, and neither can I. We're walking back to my dorm, it's not far. Okay?"

Levi frowned as his head began to spin, he brought a hand up to cover his right side of his head that started to ache. "Eren.."

Eren acted fast when he saw Levi fall down onto the ground, he caught him. "okay" he breathed out, holding the smaller man close to him. Levi was out cold, his head resting against Eren's shoulder, his full weight on him. "I'll just.. get sober enough to drive" he looked at Levi's car. "a car that isn't mine.. that's.. that's fine" he frowned. He grabbed the water, starting to drink as much as he could without throwing up. Once he thought he was sober enough, which took a lot of convincing, he stood up, holding Levi and taking his keys. He unlocked the car and went around to the passengers side, opening the door and setting Levi down. He strapped his friend in, watching as Levi laid his head back and practically melted into the seat. He sighed, running a hand through Levi's hair, before closing the door and walking to the other side, getting in the drivers side. "Well" he whispered to himself, "let's hope I don't crash"

Turns out, Eren was an okay driver when he was drunk, he promised to never tell his parents about it. He parked and went around to grab Levi, holding the slim boy in his arms while he used his key card to get into the building. He adjusted his hold on Levi so he could get in the elevator, luckily no one else was around. He got inside and pressed the number too, and when the doors shut, Levi moved his head against Erens shoulder. "mm, Jean?" he mumbled. 

"No, Levi" Eren hummed, raising an eyebrow in question. Who the hell is Jean? "It's Eren.. just sleep, alright?"

The smaller man was in no shape to argue, "okay" his eyes fluttered shut again as he rested his head against Erens shoulder.

When the elevator dinged Eren walked out, and when he got to his dorm he used his key card to get in. He shut the door behind him and Levi, setting the smaller man down on his bed. He sighed and ran a hand over his face, this was not how he wanted his night to go. He wanted to be at the party dancing with the man he had a crush on, but something had obviously upset his friend. He's never seen Levi freeze up like that, and knowing that he did it made him feel like shit. "oh Levi" he said as he looked over his friends sleeping face. "I wish you would tell me what's hurting you"

Levi moved his head, his eyes still shut. "m'sorry.. Jean.. thought I.. did good"

Eren knit his eyebrows together, "did good?"

"I did good" Levi mumbled, falling back asleep again. "I did good"

Eren didn't have the patience to deal with a drunk passed out Levi. He sighed as a wave of tiredness hit him and he sat down on his bed, laying next to his friend. He closed his eyes and fell asleep rather quickly, making a mental note on asking Levi what the hell happened tonight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tanks for reading! Leave Kudos!


	9. A Crack In The Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter only contains eren and levi :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning : heavy flashbacks of levis life this chapter. if you're easily triggered, do not read the italicized print.  
> i'm also not the best at writing in first pov and this chapter reallly shows it and i'm sorry about that lol

_"well well well, I've heard of you Levi. Kenny's nephew? So that must mean you're an Ackermen. You're quite popular here in this city, aren't ya?" Jeans voice rang through his ears, quiet and nonchalant. "I know you know who I am"_

_Levi looked up from where he sat on his knees, hands tied together by rope. It was raining, his knees were scraped to hell and his blood flowed into the puddle he was sat in. He growled and spit on Jeans shoes, giving him one of his signature glares._

_"Hm" Jean raised an eyebrow, "you obviously don't know any manners. Furlan, if you would"_

_He looked up at Jean in question as to who Furlan was, but a hand tangled itself in Levis hair and shoved his face to the ground. Levi groaned out in pain as his head hit the pavement. "fuck" he whined out._

_"Bring him up" Jean spoke, and Furlan did as he was told. Jean knelt down in front of Levi once he was brought back up into a sitting position. He looked into Levi's eyes, angry slits of silver staring menacingly into his own. "I think we got on the wrong foot, Levi. You see, you owe my friends and I some money. How will you get that to me, huh?"_

_Levi frowned, "I.. I don't have it"_

_Jean hummed, "Well that's a problem now, isn't it?"_

_"Please" Levi pleaded, his eyes widening. "I can't.. I'm sorry, I don't have it. I.. I'm trying to earn money for my uncle to finish his rehab, please.. I'll pay you back later I promise"_

_Jean frowned down at Levi, this kid couldn't be older than fifteen years old. His pitch black hair was down to his ears, wet and sticking to his forehead while a couple strands went astray. He was small, easily around five feet. He wore black jeans along with a red t-shirt, his whole outfit stained from the dirt of being thrown to the ground. "You don't have to pay me" he said softly._

_Levi looked up, "R-Really?" he asked, hope blooming in his chest._

_"No" Jean said, "but, I could use some help reining in some more customers, and you're quite a beauty, Levi"_

_"I can't.. my uncle.. he needs to go to rehab, I won't have time to pick up another job" Levi explained, frowning._

_"Quit your job and work with me, I'll support your Uncle in rehab if you work with me " Jean said, "its either that, or I beat the shit out of you for not giving me the money I am owed."_

_The hand in Levi's hair tightened, and he groaned. "Okay" he gave in. "I.. I'll work for you."_

_How easy it was for Levi to give in, he didn't know. He was fifteen when he was found by Jean, who was older than he was. Easily twenty or twenty one, he doesn't know. He doesn't know Jeans age, nobody ever told him. However, after that day, his life revolved around the guy. He quit his jobs and went to school, coming home to work with Jean. He quickly became affiliated with the other members of Jeans gang, fitting in with the rest of them. Levi quickly picked up what he needed to do to earn a deal with another fellow gang rival, and he built up a reputation over a couple months of being with Jean. As Levi got older he filled out more, gaining more muscle and his temper became a nightmare to those who challenged him. Jean brought Levi everywhere, encouraging Levi to get in fights or hurt someone just to prove his point. After three months of being with Jean, Levi had built up a disturbing reputation in Long Beach._

_"I don't see what's so hard about it, Zane" Levi spoke darkly, he finished with puberty, and his voice was deeper now. He leaned against the wall behind where Jean was sitting, trying to score a deal. "You get more money if you team up with us, double the sales and double the workers"_

_Zane looked over at Levi, "You really think I care about that?"_

_"Actually, yes i do" Levi spoke darkly, "I know of your two daughters at home, and your wife. I also know they have no idea youre affiliated with anyone around here, you live up north with the pish posh but need extra money. So right now, you don't have a choice, you strike the deal with Jean or you're utterly fucked. He runs the south side, and he can get your wife and kids in a heart beat"_

_"I can't-"_

_"Are you doubting me, Zane?" Levi spoke, eyes slimming down to form a glare. "Are you daring to doubt me? Have you seen what I can do? What I've done? What makes you think that you're safe from me, when nobody else up north is?" He put his hands on the table, leaning forward. "If you don't strike this deal with Jean, I.Will. Kill. You."_

_Zane easily took the deal and Jean and Levi left the building they were meeting in. Jean had his arm around Levi and a knowing look in his eyes, it was like he found a treasure. Levi was a scary guy, and he wasn't even an adult yet. The best part? Levi really believed what he was doing was good, which made Jeans job a lot easier. He pulled Levi close, kissing his forehead, "where would I be without you?" he smirked._

_Levi kept walking forward, "broke"_

_"You don't know your place Levi, you're taking advantage of the reputation I built up for you" Jean held Levi by the neck, "I'm going to put you in your place._

_"Try me" Levi glared, unafraid._

_He should've been afraid. He had no idea what was coming._

_"Fucks sake, Levi! Kill him! She's no different from the rest!"_

_"No Jean! Stop giving me people I know and I would!"_

_"You're fucking soft" He pulled out his gun and aimed it at the womans head, she owed him money. "You're a fucking disappointment, Levi, honestly"_

_"No!"_

_bang._

_**Eren** _

I woke up to a shout, "No Jean!" I groaned and rolled over, my head pounding. It was still night time, there was no sun shining when I caught a glimpse out of the window. I looked to Levi, who had tears streaming down his cheeks as he slept. I went to touch him, when he whimpered in his sleep. "No!" he shouted, his arm moving in front of his face. I frowned, what could he be dreaming about? I reached out and shook him. "Levi? Hey, Levi, wake up!"

He awoke with a start, gasping and choking on his own spit. He began to cough, his face turning red. I scooted closer to him, "hey, I'm right here, let me take care of you Levi"

He looked like he was contemplating it but he just nodded, rolling over and plastering himself against my side, which shocked me, but I chose not to comment on it. "It's okay" I said, "just breath okay? It was just a nightmare" I held him close as I reached for my water bottle I normally kept on my night stand. It was still a little cold, so i put it against Levi's forehead to cool him down a little, he was sweating. 

"Jean" he breathed out, a sob racking through his body. My eyes widened, there was that name again, who was this guy? And why was Levi always thinking about him? I sighed and held him close, my heart breaking as I felt tears wetting my shirt. 

"Who's Jean?" I asked calmly, "is he your ex?"

It took Levi a minute, I could tell, and I gave it to him. Whoever this guy was, he hurt Levi. I felt myself getting angry, who could hurt someone like him?

"He hurt me" Levi sniffled against my chest, and I just let him speak while carding my fingers through his sweaty hair. "I can't..I was so stupid"

"Whatever happened between the two of you, I doubt it was because you were stupid" I said calmly, his hands were shaking as he gripped my shirt. "did he.. how did he hurt you, Levi?"

"Me, Marco, Isabel, Furlan, Zane" Levi mumbled to himself, "He.. I.. Eren" he whimpered.

I held him tighter, kissing the top of his head. "shh, you're okay Levi. You're not here anymore, you're with me. It's you and me, we're in my dorm room."

He sniffled against my chest, "m'kay"

"Is he.. the reason why you carry a weapon around?" I hesitantly asked, but I hit it right on the nail because Levi gripped me tighter, letting out another sniffle. I held him tighter and asked another question, "did he ever hit you?"

Levi stilled against me, hit hands never letting me go. I waited patiently for his response, and what seemed like forever later, he nodded his head silently. 

"Once?" He nodded his head, "twice?" Levi nodded his head again, "...all the time?"

He hesitated, but nodded against me again. I sighed softly and held him close to me, kissing his head. "okay, hey, how about we fall back asleep, yeah? I'll treat us to breakfast tomorrow, we can go to that nice cafe down the road, hows that sound, huh?" I gave him a small smile, but he didn't look at me. Levi wasn't much for words, so it did not surprise me that he didn't respond. I almost said something else, but paused when I heard soft snores coming from him. I just smiled softly, holding him closer to me, my own eyes fluttering shut. 

When I woke up the next morning, it was cloudy with some rays of sun shining through. I groaned and rubbed my eyes, my head was pounding, maybe I had too much to drink last night. I was about to roll over but a weight on my chest stopped me. "Wha.?" I looked down and about shit myself when I saw a mop of black hair. _Oh shit, Levi!_ If I was drinking water I would've spit it out. How did.. what happened last night? He was practically laying on top of me, his face buried in my neck, his breath ghosting against the skin there. His arm was draped over my chest, gripping the button down I was wearing, a couple buttons were unbuttoned all the way town my torso, stopping at the bottom of my ribs. _What the fuck?_

Memories of last night flashed through my brain. Going to to the party, finding Levi high on his ass eating nachos with Sasha, taking him to the dance floor, then dancing together and.. and Levi running out? He remembered his friend running out of the house, him passing out, me driving him home and.. oh... 

_I laid Levi on my bed and he was mumbling to himself, "m'sorry Jean" his quiet voice whispered. "thought I.. did good"_

_"I did good... I did good"_

Jean. Whoever that guy was, he fucked up Levi bad. His nightmare last night, that I remember. He had been thrashing and yelling, and broke down in front of me for the first time. The sounds he made wouldn't leave my head, seeing Levi cry had been so alien to me I almost didn't know what to do. I looked down at the sleeping man on top of me, he looked so peaceful when he slept, he looked cute. I sighed and wrapped my arm back around him, squeezing him tight and reaching over to grab my phone. I clicked the power button to check the time, it was close to nine in the morning. I yawned and looked back down at Levi, who had began to start shifting around. 

He made a small noise and brought a hand up to rub his eye and I smiled to myself, he was so cute. "Well, good morning stranger"

I watched as he lifted his head up to look at me, eyes halfway shut. His cheeks looked stained from the tears he shed a couple hours before, his hair was an absolute mess, and somehow his eyeliner was still looking sharp. His eyes widened when he looked around, and then back at me. "Did we..?"

"Dude, fully clothed" I said, giving him an easy smile. I could sense how tense he was, "I had to bring you back, remember?"

Levi frowned at me and looked down, he still hadn't moved from me like I thought he would've by now. "I remember.. I.. I'm sorry you had to see that"

"Hey" I made a bold move and put a hand under his chin, making him look at me. "You were hurting Levi, it's okay. Besides, before we left I was having fun with you. You were quite the party animal"

His face flushed and he looked at me sheepishly, "you did? Had fun, I mean, you had fun?"

I smiled at him, "yeah, I did. Now, I do remember telling a certain someone that I would treat them to breakfast, how about we get ready?"

Levi nodded his head, he sat up and stretched his limbs. He swung his legs over the bed and yawned, "tch, gross. I slept in jeans"

"You aren't the only one" I said as I sat up, "I feel so gross, like I haven't showered in days."

"You smell like it"

"Oi, shut up" I chuckled, there was the Levi I knew best. "You smell like weed so I wouldn't be talking if I were you"

Levi paused then, and I frowned. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow, "I.. I smoked? You're sure it was weed?"

I shook my head, "uh.. yeah?"

"Fuck" 

"What?"

He sighed, "I made a promise to stay away from the drugs, but I guess I broke it last night"

"And you didn't break it the days before? When I saw you with Mike at the diner" I asked, sitting up too and swinging my legs over the bed to sit next to him.

"Nah, it was a cigar. Mike smokes too and I guess I needed to de-stress, and him and I had to talk some stuff out" Levi explained, well, that made everything more clear. "I um, fuck, my head hurts"

"I have some pain killers, since it's our day off I'm calling it a lazy day, wanna head to the diner in pj's?"

"Whatever, lazyass"

It took us about thirty minutes to get ready, I gave Levi a pair of black sweatpants that belonged to Connie and one of my green sweatshirts that I wore in high school. It was some of the football merch I had from my sophomore year. I also gave him my shampoo and conditioner and allowed him to shower first, and once he finished I got my stuff back and made my way to the showers, telling him to stay put in my room. He didn't object, just laid back in my bed. 

I let the water from the shower run down my back, sighing in content as it hit. I was the only one in the showers that I could tell, which meant I had some privacy to myself. It also meant I finally had some time to myself, I don't get that often. My thoughts drifted to Levi, how peaceful he looked while he fell asleep on my chest. For someone who hated physical affection, he sure cuddled up close last night, and he didn't even freak out when he woke up this morning. If I didn't know any better, I would say he was quite content and comfortable when he woke up on my chest.

The weirdest part? I wanted to keep holding him, I didn't want him to wake up and pull away. But, for a moment, when he woke up and didn't quite know his surroundings, everything felt normal. It felt calm between him and I, it was normally quiet between us but this time it was filled with anticipation, at least on my part. He looked so soft, the way his eyelids were haphazardly open and the redness of his cheeks illuminated in my dark dorm room, along with him sleeping on top of me without a care in the world.. it felt so nice. I want to wake up like that every day, minus the hangover. 

Letting out a breath I wasn't aware I was holding, I finished washing my hair and let the soap run run down my body onto the floor. I turned around and turned off the water, grabbing my towel and drying myself off. Yawning once more, I finished drying myself and got dressed into some black sweatpants and a white sweatshirt and a pair of shoes. I blow-dryed my hair for awhile until it looked decent enough before I put all my stuff back in my bag, heading back into my dorm room. I saw Levi laying on my bed on his stomach, face buried in the pillow with my blankets on top of him, small snores coming from his little body. 

I don't think he realized how adorable he actually was. I smiled and set my bag down on the floor, not really caring about the mess, my room at home was messy too. I stared at him for a moment, just admiring how calm he looked as opposed to last night when he woke up from a nightmare. The image of him crying still in my head, I wanted to erase it forever. I grabbed my keys and my wallet, kneeling down and making yet another bold move and carding my fingers through his perfectly washed hair. "Hey, Levi? Wake up, I'm taking you to get some breakfast"

He buried his face in the pillow even further, "no"

"No?" I chuckled, "come on, or I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you out to my car" 

Levi lifted his head and glared at me, "You wouldn't"

"Oh I would" I smirked, removing my hand from his hair, surprised I haven't been punched in the face by now, this is the most I've touched him, and I've known him for three months. "Come on Vi, let's go"

"m'kay" He mumbled and sat up, running a hand through his hair and we both stood up. "Let's go eat"

"Kinda what I had in mind" I smiled and watched as he rolled his eyes and made his way out of my room, with my on his heels. I shut my door behind us as we walked to the elevator. Once we got to the elevator I pressed on level one, and we waited patiently until it dinged. The doors opened and both of us walked out of the building, Levi wrapping his arms around himself as the cold air bl I looked down at him, raising an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"Cold" He said, letting out a huff and a his lips formed a thin line. Oh right, he was from California, he's probably never seen weather under seventy degrees. In Michigan, it was cold weather pretty much every day except for the peak of summer.

"I got an extra jacket in my car" I said as we approached it, unlocking it, I got into the drivers seat and watched as Levi got in. While he put his seat belt on I reached in the back seat and moved some of my trash out of the way before finding my dark blue coat. I sat back in my seat and handed it to him, "here"

He looked down at the coat and frowned, grabbing it and shrugging it on. "Weather like this makes me miss California"

I started my car and backed out of my parking spot, driving toward the cafe with the heat turned on. "Never thought you miss Cali cause of how much crap you talk about it"

"Just the weather" Levi said, "and my uncle Kenny"

"Hm" I hummed and kept driving, "Yeah, I don't miss Michigan but I miss my parents"

It was silent the rest of the way and eventually I pulled into the parking lot. I shut off my car and after both of us got out, I turned and locked the door and we both walked quickly into the diner. For such a short guy, Levi could walk fast. I held the door open for him he mumbled a small _thanks brat_ before walking inside with me in tow. "Let's go to the window seats" I suggested, leading us both to the window. 

Levi jumped up on the stool, and I let out a laugh. He frowned, "what?"

"Nothing" I smiled as I sat down as well, "you're just short"

If I didn't know any better, I would say Levi's face flushed a light pink. 

"So are we going to um, are we going to talk about last night?"

I looked over to Levi, who was laying down on my bed once again. He never changed clothes, he even stayed in my coat. The moment we got back to my dorm he went straight to my bed, getting under the blankets and watched me play some video games. Both of us were silent for about a half an hour before Levi finally said something. 

"What about last night?" I asked, muting my game and taking off my head set. 

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "uh.. you know? Pretty much everything after I freaked out at the party and the uh.. the nightmare"

I frowned, "why would we talk about it?"

Levi's eyes slimmed down into a glare, and I could practically see the sudden jerky angry Levi I had come to like. "what do you mean?" he asked lowly, leaning up on his elbow, allowing his bangs to fall into his face.

"Shit" I put my controller down in my lap and put both of my hands up in surrender, "Look, Levi" I began, "don't take that the wrong way, I'm sorry if you took it that way. What I meant is that you clearly don't want to explain it to me, just seeing how tense you are tells me you don't want to explain anything. Last night was.. it scared the shit out of me. Did I want to ask you every question in the book? Yes. Do I want to hurt whoever hurt you? Hell yes. Jean, his name is Jean?" Levi's face fell and he looked down at the bed, picking at the sheets. "Yeah, him. And just seeing your face Levi- fuck.. I know he hurt you in ways I can't even comprehend. You do not have to explain anything to me, not until you're ready, that's if you ever want to tell me." 

He looked back up at me, nodding his head. "Okay"

I gave him a small smile, "You can always talk to me if you want too Levi, you know that. We're friends for a reason, I wouldn't have risked almost dying last night from drunk driving your car for nothing. If you're crying or having an episode, nightmare.. whatever.. you don't have to explain it. I'll look after you" I said, putting my head set back on. "Okay?"

Before I turned my sound back on I watched him nod his head, "Okay"

"Okay" I smiled again and turned, pressing play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave kudos <3


	10. Pleasing A Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thanksgiving break :)  
> levi gets a gift from kenny about his mom, who died when levi was seven  
> our little raven goes to visit a friend!

Things have been easy since the Halloween party. The weather began to cool which meant midterms were approaching soon, leaves falling from the beautiful trees on campus and it was cloudy almost every day since the weather had began to cool down. Despite the heavy amount of school work, the gang has kept all their grades up and were all excelling at their selected classes. Hange spent most of her time in the science lab, messing around with different formulas to create some weird stuff for her midterms with Sasha. Mikasa and Levi soon began to talk freely, even sometimes hang out with each other. The two of them have done their homework together a couple times with Eren and Annie tagging along. Levi and Mike had gotten closer as well, which had made the teal-eyed brunette math major a little more jealous by the day. 

Oh, Eren and Levi's situation? That was going good as well. They hung out pretty much every day, either by themselves or with the rest of the gang. They all made sure that every Wednesday the entire group of friends would go to dinner at the diner so they still managed to have a social life. Work overwhelmed the two, and most of the time they saw each other they mainly did homework. 

It began to scare Levi how quickly he had began to trust Eren, ever since the day of the party and the morning after they've been inseparable. The raven didn't even notice, but he constantly wanted to talk to Eren or he wondered what his friend was doing. It was always about Eren, and he didn't even know. He would text Eren during class, they would spend the night in each others dorm rooms, Eren managed to convince Levi to have his photos taken again in different parts of campus. 

Hange had begun to be very curious of the two boys' relationship. She noticed her and Levi didn't spend as much time together, she thought Levi would be by her side all the time. Although she was proud of her friend for expanding himself to new horizons, she became cautious of Eren, always asking him what intentions he had with Levi, in which Eren always replied _"just trying to make him happy, Hange"_ She had no doubts that Eren would do anything to her friend, but she knew Levi, and she knew he would freak if he ever realized his feelings for Eren. One time she asked Levi about how he feels about Eren and the raven made a big point for her to _"shut the hell up, maybe I do like him, why do you care?"_ he may have sounded angry, but the light blush on his pale cheeks said other wise. 

Thanksgiving break came around quickly and Levi was so excited to go home and see Kenny. Don't get him wrong, he loved being at this school and having his friends but he was starting to get homesick. He was so eager to go home that he was bouncing on his heels as he packed his bag, making Mike look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Haven't seen you excited about something, if you call packing quickly exciting"

With a roll of his eyes, Levi turned around and pointed a finger at him. "I just finished writing a ten page essay on how literature has improved our world, I'm ready to go home and relax. You should be too, since you live on the north side. You probably have some huge thanksgiving feast to look forward too."

Mike shrugged as he kept packing, "yeah, you're right. You going to Hanges?"

"Uh hu" Levi said as he shoved clothes into his suitcase. "Her family has a huge thanksgiving every year"

"Sounds nice" Mike zipped up his last bag and swung it over his shoulder, grabbing his suit case. "I'll see ya soon, bye Levi"

"Bye"

With Mike leaving the room, it left Levi to think to himself. Sure, he was excited to go home, he just hoped that things would be the same when he went back. Kenny didn't know this, but there's been multiple occasions that involved Levi steering his uncle out of trouble with people Jean knew after Levi left him. Kenny never said anything about it whenever they talked since Levi's went away, but that doesn't mean that the little raven hasn't worried about the possibility. He hummed to himself, Kenny can take care of himself, he's sure he had nothing to worry about. 

He finished packing his bags and sent Hange a text to meet him at his car. Levi shoved his phone in his pocket and picked up all of his bags, slightly struggling to get them out of the room. He shoved his key card in his pocket and made his way down the hall and to the elevator. When it opened he pressed level one, and the doors shut, allowing him to sigh to himself. He wanted to go home, but he also wanted to stay. Levi didn't know why he was so conflicted, it wasn't like Jean would try anything, right?

It's November now, and Jeans birthday would've just passed. He would be twenty four, and there was no doubt that his gang expanded by now. Maybe he's claimed most of hte south side and found a storage unit up north to keep up with sales? Could he really do that without Levi? He remembered how Furlan told him sales went down dramatically after he left, how Jean completely flipped out when he saw Levi had run away and later teamed up with someone on the north side. That was the excuse Levi let Jean believe, it would save him the trouble of saying he ran away because he was a coward. 

Before Levi left he made sure Furlan and Isabel were stable, they told him to be selfish and run so he did. After he left though, he had no contact with anyone he once knew. It's been almost a year now since he left, and every day he wondered how the two of them were doing.

The ding of the elevator brought Levi out of his thoughts and he grabbed his bags, walking through the opening of the sliding doors. He made sure to keep his hat over his ears before he walked out of the housing addition and to his car, where he saw an over-excited, but cold looking Hange bouncing on her feet. "Hey Levi! Took ya long enough! Unlock your car before I freeze to death" 

"Right, right" Levi rolled his eyes as he took out his car keys, he unlocked the car and popped the trunk. "I don't want to get my seats dirty, pack your shit in the trunk" he said. 

Hange just nodded and they both shoved their bags and suitcases in the trunk of Levi's car. He didn't worry much how they would fit, Hange was driving her car back separately since she had to go back to campus one day earlier because she has a huge project due she needs to work on that she does not want to bring home. Levi could understand that, he stayed up until five this morning to finish essay so he didn't have to come back one day early. Once they made sure nothing would break, Hange and Levi got into the car. Levi went to start his car but then he heard a shout of, "Hey Levi! Hange!"

"There's your man" Hange winked, making Levi blush and look away, starting his car.

"Shut up"

Said man made his way to Levi's car, knocking on the window. Levi rolled it down and looked up at his friend, who was wearing dark blue jeans and a black coat wrapped around him tightly. The beanie Eren wore covered most of his hair that was starting to get long, which Levi begged him to get it cut. His bright teal eyes looked down at Levi, softening at the sight of the raven. "Were you really about to leave without saying goodbye to your favorite math teacher?"

"Didn't cross my mind, brat" Levi said, biting back a smile that desperately wanted to show itself. 

"Of course it didn't, you broke my heart Mr. Ackerman" Eren said, leaning down more so he had a full view of Levi.

Levi raised an eyebrow, "And what will you do about it, Mr. Yeager?"

It was silent with unresolved sexual tension between the two, which had begun to build up ever since the night at the party. Hange couldn't take it so she turned on the radio so there was background music, "you two should just get together already, it's driving me crazy"

The raven's eyes widened and he looked at his friend, "shut up Hange"

Eren let out a laugh and he looked in between the two, "text me when you two get home safely, alright?"

"Okay" Levi looked back up at Eren, "you too"

With a small wave, Eren backed away from Levi's car and watched him pull out of his parking spot. He watched Levi give him a little wave before turning the wheel, pressing the gas pedal and leaving the parking lot, making his way to his home. 

Unlike Eren, Levi and Hange had a very long drive ahead of them. It was at least a twenty hour drive, so every four hours they switched driving so they could make it home as soon as possible. Hange made a suggestion that they get plane tickets when they come back so they didn't have to drive like this, and Levi made a mental note to do that. It would be more expensive, but it would save him the miles on his car. They were driving almost across the country, and even though Levi had a great car, any car would overheat at this kind of drive. 

Once they made it home safely, Levi dropped Hange off at her home. She ruffled his hair and got out, grabbing all of her stuff and practically running inside her home. Levi smiled softly, he knew that she missed home. He made the drive back to his own house, he didn't tell Kenny when he was coming home, even if he was coming home. He wanted to surprise him. When Levi pulled into the drive way he grabbed his bags and suitcase, shutting is trunk and walking up to his two story home. He didn't want to walk in, he decided to knock because for some reason he also could not find his house key. 

Kenny was sitting on the living room couch, paying the bills for the house. He had the tv playing in the back ground, a new one that he just bought a little while ago. When he heard the door knock he frowned, it was his day off work so certainly no one was trying to get him to cover for someones shift? He sighed and got up off of his couch, walking to the door and looking through the peep hole. All he saw was a short man with suit cases and a bag- Levi?

He opened the door so fast he almost hit himself, but when he looked down it was worth it, his nephew was finally home. "Hey runt!"

Levi looked up and smiled, dropping his bags and taking a step forward, hugging his uncle. "Hi Kenny"

Kenny just smiled, wrapping his arms around Levi. "I missed ya kid, the house is quiet without ya"

"The house was quiet with me in it" Levi said as he pulled away, he grabbed his bags and Kenny moved out of the way, allowing Levi to walk inside. "Anything new?"

"Nope" Kenny replied, shutting the door behind him. "Picked up more hours with my job, and many times I was tempted to get a god damn dog because I was so lonely. Uh, nothings really new, same old same old."

Levi smiled a bit, "I'm going to start a load of laundry, and Hange's thanksgiving is tomorrow night at seven, can you make it?"

"And miss the turkey? Fuck yes I'll make it" Kenny laughed, "go do your laundry and shit, I'll order a pizza"

While Kenny dialed the number of the nearest pizza place, Levi walked up the stairs hauling his bags. He made it to his room and sat down on his bed, letting out a sigh as he laid on it. He missed his king sized bed, he hated the twin bed in his dorm room. He could stay here and sleep forever, screw going back to Maria. 

_Speaking of Maria,_ Levi thought to himself, _I never texted Eren._ He took his phone out from his pocket and pulled up Erens contact, selecting new message and began typing. 

To : Eren Yeager 

From : Levi Ackerman 

_Just made it home, it was like a twenty hour drive. I'm taking a plane back for sure. How's home?_

Within a couple of seconds, Eren responded. _How does he always text back so quick?_

To : Levi Ackerman

From : Eren Yeager

_Dang, that's a hell of a long drive, wouldn't blame you if you took a plane. Mikasa, Annie, Connie and I got home like thirteen hours ago. My whole family is coming down :(_

To : Eren Yeager 

From : Levi Ackerman

_Kenny and I are going to Hange's for thanksgiving, and what, you don't like your family?_

To : Levi Ackerman 

From : Eren Yeager 

_Nah I like them, but there's so many kids they wear me out. Hey, I'll text you later alright? My mom's making me help her cook diner for tonight, ttyl Levi!_

Levi hummed and sent Eren a goodbye text, putting his phone back in his pocket. He began unpacking, putting his clothes in his hamper along with the bed sheets he used at Maria. He went into the bathroom, dumping the clothes in the washer and shutting the top, pressing start. Levi took off his jacket so he was only wearing his shirt, and he tossed his hat into the load as well. Finally, he was back in California weather. He stretched his arms before coming back downstairs, seeing Kenny on the couch, a beer in his hand and a filled one on the table that Levi knew was for him. The raven cleared his throat to get Kenny's attention, "for me?" he asked, sitting down next to his uncle. 

Kenny looked to Levi and nodded, "yeah, I don't have anything else, wasn't expecting you home so soon. I forgot all about thanksgiving break if I'm being honest."

The raven hummed and nodded his head, grabbing the beer and putting the top on his bottom row of teeth, opening it easily and spitting out the cap and took a drink. Kenny looked at him and laughed, and Levi looked at him, rolling his eyes. "what?"

"You just-" He chuckled, "I'm surprised you haven't lost your teeth yet"

"Oh please" Levi tipped his beer towards Kenny, "these pearly whites? Yeah right, my teeth are as tough as nails"

Kenny rolled his eyes, "you sound just like your mother" he sipped his beer and looked down at his lap.

"Do you ever miss her... my mom?" Levi asked, noticing the change of mood.

"Every day, Levi" Kenny said, he took another swig of his beer. "You're like a carbon copy of her, the same sharp grey eyes, the same black hair, the nose, the chin, you look just like her. And you're fuckin' short too, Kutchel wasn't that much taller than you are now. You have the same stubborn attitude like her and it pisses me the hell off sometimes"

"Kenny?" Levi set his beer down, "Do you know who my dad is?"

His uncle shook his head, "nope, your mother didn't write it down anywhere that I know of. I know you want to find him one day Levi but... I don't think that's a good idea."

Levi frowned, "what do you mean it's not a good idea?"

"Because she was into drugs and all that shit, she mad multiple boyfriends who treated her like dog shit and no matter how many times I tried to tell her to stop she wouldn't. Most of the men didn't like you Levi, from what I was told" Kenny explained. 

"I remember some of them" Levi mumbled, eyeing his drink. "I remember Ross, he was a sack of shit. He was nice at the beginning, bought me shit but then threatened to take it all away if I ever told anyone what he did with mom. I don't even know how she died, Kenny. I just walked into her room, the one time it was unlocked, and she was just.. she was just there, rotting away."

Kenny frowned, Levi should've never had to witness that as a young kid. He looked down at his drink and then over at Levi. "I think you're finally old enough Levi, come here" he set his beer down. "I gotta show you something."

Levi quickly stood up and followed Kenny to the garage, "what is it?" he asked. 

The garage lights flickered on and Kenny walked over to the toolbox in the top corner of the big space. It was a small toolbox, one small enough to store under a dresser. It was very dusty and pitch black, with a painted K on the front and in pencil below it said _for my son, Levi._ He reached up and grabbed it, blowing dust off. "When I went to grab the things from your moms house, she had a box of stuff set aside for you."

"The toolbox" Levi's eyes flickered with knowing, "She kept it under the floor boards, she told me it was a secret rocket that would burn my hand if I touched it.."

Kenny laughed a bit, "she was just trying to protect you, son. Here" he handed the toolbox to Levi, who took it eagerly. "I was supposed to give you this on your eighteenth birthday but you were in such a rough spot that I uh.. I kinda held back on it, I'm sorry kid."

Levi shrugged, "It's fine but.. what's in here? Is this really from mom?" he traced the K, "is this moms hand writing?" Levi owned one thing from his mom, and that was a blanket she knitted for him as a kid that he kept all these years. 

"Yeah" Kenny smiled and he patted Levi's shoulder, "open it when you want too. You don't have to do it now, in fact, I think the pizza should be here soon. Do you want to go eat and look at that later?"

"uh hu" Levi nodded his head, putting the tool box under his right arm. "let's go eat" 

Before the Thanksgiving dinner, Levi wanted to make a pit stop. He drove down to the diner, which he knew would be open because it never closes on holidays, just on Christmas and New Years. Pulling in the parking spot next to his friends car, he turned it off and shoved his keys in his pair of shorts, leaving the lanyard trailing out of his pocket. He ran a hand through his hair which needed cut, he would have to do that later before he went to the dinner at Hange's house. Levi wanted to run inside to the diner but he didn't want to seem to eager, he settled for walking his normal pace and when he opened the door, the familiar sound of the door bell rang through the small business. 

"Hello, welcome to- Levi?!"

"Hi Erwin" Levi said with a hand raised, waving. 

There he stood, his ex and now best friend, Erwin Smith. The tall blonde looked great, he looked more built and his hair was cut a little shorter, one thing that hadn't changed was his huge eyebrows, they were like an eye sore. Since they weren't busy, Erwin hopped right over the counter and went to Levi. "Now I know you don't like hugs, but it's been a minute, can I?"

"Tch, whatever" Levi sneered and Erwin laughed, wrapping his arm around the smaller man. Levi sighed softly, leaning into the large arms of his friend. Once Erwin pulled away Levi looked up at him, the height difference between the two being a foot or more now that Erwin had grown. "You gonna get me a drink or what?"

Erwin smiled and chuckled, "course, sit down at the bar, Ollie isn't here to bust me if I give you a free drink."

"I hate him"

"You hate everyone, idiot"

"Eyebrows"

"Midget"

Levi rolled his eyes, "just get me a drink, smith"

The tall blonde just laughed, he opened the gate and went around the counter once Levi sat down at the stool. He mixed a quick drink he watched Levi make himself a million times on his break or lunch over the summer, it was honestly a miracle that he remembered what to put in it. He turned around once he finished and he raised an eyebrow when he saw Levi scrolling through his phone, mouth wide open and eyes in shock. Erwin cleared his throat, "everything okay?"

"Yeah" Levi replied, "I uh, I had my picture taken over at MU and the guy who took them, my friend Eren, just sent them to me, they're done"

"Levi Ackerman got his picture taken? Whaaaat? Show me" Erwin came around the counter and sat next to Levi, setting his drink next to where he put Levi's. 

The raven tilted his screen so that Erwin could see, "It was my first week at MU, the only people I knew there were Hange and Mike, and Eren pushed almost too hard to be my friend. He convinced me to model for him within three days of knowing him, and we've been hanging out together ever since."

Erwin looked through the photos on Levi's phone, "These look really good Levi, you look so relaxed. Wow, and to think I thought the only emotion you knew was anger"

"Oh fuck off, eyebrows"

"Anyway" Erwin took a drink, "So, this Eren guy, you like him?"

"What makes you say that?" Levi asked as he sent Eren a quick text, saying thank you for the photos and to have a happy thanksgiving, telling him they'll talk later. 

"Oh nothing" Erwin teased, "just the fact that I've heard this guys name brought up in almost every conversation we have since you've been at MU. You don't even talk about Hange or Kenny that much, or practically anything that much. You have to like him, can I see what he looks like?"

"Yeah" Levi said and he logged into his instagram, typing in Erens name and selecting his profile, he gave his phone to Erwin. "How are you and Armin?"

"We're good, he's going to graduate this year so he's excited. He wants to major in something that has to do with science, like Hange. I'll be graduating the police academy in the middle of December, I've been doing ride alongs for the past month, it's been really cool" Erwin handed Levi his phone back, "he's cute, good pick"

Levi blushed and looked away, something Erwin had never seen Levi do. "He lives in Michigan, and we're not even together Erwin. I mean he's cute but..."

"But you're working on yourself, I understand" Erwin comforted, "But, from seeing how much he posts of his friends, I'm guessing he's a really nice guy? I saw you in a couple of those pictures, and he just posted those pictures of you by the way"

"He did?" Levi looked at his phone and sure thing, Eren posted the photos, tagging Levi in them of course. "Wow, bold move"

Erwin smiled, "he should go into photography, those photos look really nice"

"I can talk to him about double majoring, modeling for his pictures is kind of entertaining." Levi said and he gave Erwin a pointed look, "never tell anyone I said that"

"Scouts honor" Erwin said with a raised hand, "You should really treat yourself Levi, he seems like a nice guy to be with. Maybe he can come down with you for some time during Christmas break? I'd love to meet him"

Levi hummed, "I can ask, but we're not even together, so why would he even come down? And you only want to meet him because you have some heros complex or some shit, you don't always have to protect me, ya know? I can protect myself"

"Uh hu" Erwin rolled his eyes and took another sip, "whatever, I could tell not a lot of people looked after you when I first met you, and you know it made you happy when I stepped up to the plate"

That wasn't a total lie, as Valedictorian, Erwin was to give the new students a tour of the high school. He's gotten the notification about Levi and gave him a tour around the school like usual, but he noticed the smaller man was not timid and asking a lot of questions like everyone else he's ever given a tour too. This kid had been through some serious stuff, Erwin could tell. He had a mark on his face, he look like he had been hit, and his eyes were dull and grey. They were slimmed down into a sharp glare, so sharp that if looks could kill, everyone in this school would drop dead. His knuckles were bruised to all hell, and his hair was dull an greasy. He didn't say a word, he was anti-social and glared at Erwin most of the time. 

Throughout their friendship Levi had begun to open up to him in small doses, but that was enough for the blonde. Erwin never asked where he got the marks, and he always invited Levi to sit with him at lunch, which is where he met Hange. The three of them had began to hang out, and when they realized that they were in the top of their class, it was all the more reason to see each other a lot. Erwin still remembers the first time he saw the raven smile, it was two months after knowing him. He let the small smile slip out when Erwin cursed up a storm when he stubbed his toe on a chair at an assembly in front of everyone with his mic still on. 

"Whatever _dad"_ Levi tsked, "I uh, I do appreciate you looking out for me though, helping me lay off the drugs and shit. I thought it would be bad when I left for college, but I have other priorities to deal with now, so I don't even think about them anymore"

"That's good, Levi" Erwin said and he pointed to Levi's drink, giving him a look that said _I made this you better drink it._ The raven gave him a soft smile and grabbed the glass, taking a sip. "Is one of those distractions Eren?"

Levi looked away, "Maybe"

"Levi Ackerman, if you don't get in this man's pants soon I know plenty of people that would"

"Shut the fuck up, eyebrows."

"The party has arrived! Time to eat some grub!"

Levi cringed as Kenny shouted when they entered Hange's household, he did this every year. Kenny practically blends in with the family due to being a loud mouth. Hange's parents were loud and obnoxious people, just like Hange. Levi had no idea why he attracted all the loud mouthed people, but somehow he did and he couldn't complain, it kept his dull life somewhat entertaining. 

The two Ackermans walked inside to see Hange with her mom and dad setting the food on the counter. Hange did not have a lot of family, it was mainly just her and her parents, so thats all the people that were there. Her, her mom and dad, Levi, and Kenny. Nobody complained though, it was a small get together and they all loved it. 

Everybody sat themselves down at the table, Hange's dad at the head, his wife next to him, Kenny across from her, Hange next to her mom and Levi across from her. The fall decorations were beautiful, they had lights cascading down their stare case. The home smelled of pine and cinnamon, a quite calming smell if you would ask Levi. He loved coming over here, it was one of his favorite places to be. Hange lived up north of Long beach, the nicer and prettier side of the city. Kenny and Levi had to drive almost an hour with the traffic to get there, but they both didn't care. Traffic was a bitch during the holidays. 

They all talked like they were family, which they were. They all were, throwing jokes across the table. They talked about college, about their jobs, their homes, about everything. It came so natural, and it makes Levi miss this. College made everything so different. He misses home, he wants to stay. 

He never thought he would say he wanted to stay in Long Beach. 

He missed home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading :) leave kudos <3


	11. To Feel Human Again Requires Risk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everyone comes home  
> hange has a date  
> levi/eren finally :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is going to be kind of long, so enjoy :)

Coming back from thanksgiving break wasn't that hard of an adjustment. The entire gang flew back to Maria University, parting their ways as they went into their own housing additions. The weather there was cold, just like they all suspected. It was cold, windy, and gloomy outside. It looks like the sun hasn't shown itself in weeks, which is how it's pretty much been for awhile. It was almost relieving to be back at school, and like a routine that everybody unpacked their bags and set their rooms back up. It was a heart felt reunion between all of them when they all met at the diner they went too when they first met at orientation. 

They all sat in the same booths, talking about how their thanksgiving breaks went. It was Eren, Levi, Hange, Sasha, Connie, Mike, Mikasa, and Annie sitting at the big booth. Food was served, mouths were fed. They all carried out full lively conversations, even Levi, who they all knew didn't talk much. All of their thanksgiving breaks were mostly the same, they all realized half way through telling all their stories. Then the conversation switched to multiple, concerning school work, food, future plans, some random social media post or famous hash tag, it was so easy for them to talk to each other. They've all known each other for only four months, and they all talked like they've known each other for years. 

During another one of Sashas rants about how she made another potato recipe she found, Levi's mind drifted to the tool box. He had yet to open it, he was waiting for the right time. He knew the right time should've been his birthday, but Kenny held off on that because Levi was still dealing with his past and didn't need anything else triggering. He didn't want to open it yet, he felt like he should open it later on when he figured out his other school work. He misses his mom so much, he has very little memories of her. He remembered what she looked like, but not her voice. He knows where her grave is, he knows her favorite quote is an old bible verse, but that's pretty much it. Kenny said that her death was so traumatic for him that as a kid me mentally blocked it ou

While everybody was talking, Hange had noticed her friend go silent. She frowned and nudged him, quietly whispering. "You alright?"

The raven looked over to her while he picked at his food, "yeah, just thinking"

She raised an eyebrow, "you sure? You love BLT's yet you've barely touched it. Is it still about your mom?"

"Let's talk about this later" Levi sneered, "I'm going to go to the bathroom, excuse me" he excused himself from the table, not missing how Eren's gaze burned in the back of his head as he walked to the bathroom. He opened the door and breathed out a shaky breath, locking the door behind him, it was a one stall bathroom. He walked up to the mirror, looking at his reflection. 

Of course it was about his mom, if Levi was being honest, he barely had memories of her. He forgot he even had a mom until Kenny brought her up over the break. Levi sighed and rubbed his face, closing his eyes and trying to remember something about her. 

_It was a warm summer day in Long Beach, California. It was around one hundred degrees, which is normal for a summer day in the south of Cali. The sky was bright blue, the suns rays shining down from above, the air as fresh as ever. People were out with their dogs, the birds were flying, kids were playing outside, and other people looked like they were packing to go to the beach. Six year old Levi was dressed in teal blue shorts and a bright orange muscle shirt, his feet covered in flip flops and a bright blue hat on his head. He put his arm floaties on and grabbed his tools to build a sandbox. Levi was on his way to use the bathroom, today would be the first time he saw the beach cause momma promised today was the day. She said she was feeling good today, so he was finally going to the beach!_

_Levi stopped when he heard a loud banging and some shouting, he looked towards his moms room door curiously. There was always noises coming from there, he didn't understand. This time he decided he would explore and walked towards his moms door, he knocked on it. "Mommy? You 'kay?" the six year old slurred, still having trouble pronouncing the letter K._

_Noises quieted down and a second later the door opened, revealing his mom. She looked troubled but she put on a mask, kneeling down and smiling at her son. "Hi honey, I got some bad news"_

_"wha?" Levi asked, looking up at his mom, he was awfully short for a six year old._

_Kutchel sighed softly and cupped his cheek, "we can't go to the beach today honey, I'm not feeling too good"_

_It was so sad to watch her sons face fall, he was already dressed and ready to go. Kutchel felt horrible but.. there wasn't much she could do with this monster breathing behind her back. "I'm sorry baby"_

_Levi whined, "said.. said we can go.. see the big water an..an' sand castles.." he looked down at his bucket of plastic tools._

_"We'll go on another day sweetie, how about you go work on your number sheets? If you get five more done we will go tomorrow" Kutchel suggested, trying to get Levi's mind off of the beach, she felt so bad._

_"Mommy?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Sick?" Levi asked, reaching up to touch her face. "feel bad?"_

_Kutchel smiled, he was copying what she did for him when he felt sick. "Yeah honey, I'm going to sleep, and it would make me feel so much better if you did your number sheets and showed me later?"_

_Levi frowned and nodded, he took off his floaties slowly. "Okay mommy" he leaned up and gave his mom a clumsy kiss on the cheek. "feel better mommy"_

_"Thanks baby, I'm going to sleep" she said as she stood up, she watched as Levi walked back to his room, glumly dragging his toys back to his room. She shut the door and sighed, she wished things were different._

-

Levi tried not to remember the sound of banging he heard right after that and the screaming that he was sadly used too, he doubted that his mom was sick that day. No, he knew his mom was not sick that day. He knew the man was responsible for not letting him go to the beach ever, or even go to school. Levi was forced to be home schooled, which lead to him being very anti-social in his later years in life. For seven years, Levi only talked to his mom and the man she was with all the time. 

He sighed and splashed some water in his face, why was his life such shit?

After Levi excused himself from the table, Eren had watched him leave. He finished having a conversation with Annie and turned to Hange, whispering. "Is he alright?"

Hange looked over at Eren, "beats me" she shrugged, "he's always got something on his mind"

The brunette was about to say something else when he caught Levi leaving the rest room. His face stoic as usual, he just looked troubled. He watched as Levi walked back up to the table, pulling a twenty out of his wallet and setting it down on the table. "I'm heading back to my dorm, lack of sleep is getting to me. I'll catch you guys later" he said, giving Hange a look before leaving, pushing the door of the diner and shoving his hands in his pockets as he made his way back to his dorm. Levi didn't have his car since he took a plane back home, and he really wished he had his car now, its the beginning of December and it was freezing. 

"Wonder what that was about" Mike wondered. 

"No idea" Hange said, "let's keep eating though, we can't let this food go to waste!" she tried changing the subject and Eren followed suit, agreeing with her and everybody dug into their food once more, Erens mind still on his troubled friend. 

-

Days later, Eren was assigned yet another stupid essay from his stupid English class. Seriously, he was a math major, so why does he have to write so many essays for this kind of thing? And this one was about one historical event that changed the US history. He almost failed history back in high school, he's sure the only thing he got right on the final exam was his name and his teacher passed him out of pity. Eren shivered as he left the academic building, hands shoved in his pockets and his hat pulled down to his eyebrows. It was getting down to thirty degrees, maybe twenty, at Maria University, and everybody was freezing. It was still the first week of December, so it was only to become colder pretty soon. 

Shivering, Eren kept his head down as he walked quickly to his dorm. As he walked to the library though, he noticed Levi sitting in one of the recliners, typing away on his laptop with his airpods in. He smiled to himself and decided to take a little detour, he tightened the hold on his book bag and walked up to the glass doors of the library. He opened the door and walked in, sighing in relief at the feel of heat on his face. He pulled the collar of his coat down so he could breath and he walked towards the line of the recliners where he saw Levi sitting on the one closest to the wall, still typing quickly, fully focused on whatever he was working on.

Being as quiet as he could be, the taller boy tip toed over to his friend and dropped his book bag onto the recliner and laughed when Levi jumped and turned towards him. Eren gave him a small wave and Levi took out one air pod, "well hey there stranger" Levi spoke, his full attention on his friend.

"Hey there" Eren smiled and sat down on the recliner his bag was on, he blew on his hands. "It's freaking cold outside" 

"I know, I've been in here avoiding the cold walk back to my dorm for the last hour and a half. I got started on my final for writers comp though, I got like two pages of this essay done" Levi said, turning back to his laptop. "I have like eight pages to go"

Eren looked baffled, "you pulled two pages out of your ass in an hour in a half?"

Levi shrugged his shoulders, "yeah, it's not that hard"

"Huh" Eren frowned, "I got assigned an essay for my final, do you mind helping me with it? I can't write them for shit, you know this"

The smaller man thought about it for a moment before turning to Eren, pointing his pencil at him. "Only if you help me pass my math final, I got a B in there but I need an A to keep my scholarship."

"Deal" Eren smiled, "should we start now or...?" he nodded towards Levi's homework.

"Tch, I can finish this no sweat." he saved his work and turned to Eren, "we can work on your stuff, pull your shit out and let's start"

"Alright Mr. Ackerman, teach me your ways" and for the next three hours they worked on Erens essay together. 

-

"Hange for the love of everything that is holy, can you please shut up?" Levi pulled his pillow over his head.

The three of them, which included Mike, Levi, and Hange were all in Levi and Mike's dorm room. Mike was working on a psych project for his final, Levi was working on some math he would need to show Eren sometime before he turned it i, and Hange came over because for the first time ever, she was having boy problems and she thought Levi could help her out. Mike had taken out one of his head phones so he could listen in, other wise he left the main conversation between the two idiots behind him. 

"But Leviiiiii" Hange dragged out, stomping on the floor like a child. "please, I need help, I've never..." 

Levi sighed and set his homework down next to him, looking up at Hange. He pushed his glasses up and cocked his head to the side, "what is so important to interrupt my work?"

Hange smiled now that she had Levi's full attention, "this isn't just a crush this time Levi I.. I think I like him, he's in my chemistry class and his name is Moblit. He's my lap partner and we were assigned our final together and.. well, he doesn't have a girlfriend or anything.. he lives in the housing addition next to mine and he invited me over to work on the project together!"

"Will his roommate be there?" Levi asked, a small smile ghosting his face. Hange's never liked someone before, so this was a whole new side of her he hasn't seen and he finds it amusing. 

She pondered the thought for a moment before remembering the text that Moblit sent yesterday, "uh no.. why?"

Levi hummed with a smirk, "well Hange, if the roommate isn't there.. you know what that means? He obviously wants a piece of Hange Zoe"

Hange's eyes widened, "No..."

"Oh yes" Levi wanted to laugh, she was so oblivious. "Mike?"

Mike turned to look at Levi, "what?"

"Hypothetically" Levi began, "if you invited a girl you liked over into this dorm room, would you or would you not kick me out so you can have sex with her"

"Considering I've done that already, I would kick you out" Mike said, turning back around at his work. "Now, let me finish this project"

"Will do" Levi said and he looked back up at Hange, seeing her shocked face. "See? Hange, he has to like you, if he said his roommate wouldn't be home then obviously he likes you. Don't stress about it, just be yourself"

Hange looked at her friend, how come Levi can give advice but now acknowledge his feelings for Eren. She bit her lip and put a finger to her chin, getting an idea. "Well then-" her phone buzzed then. Hange frowned and she reached down in her pocket, pulling her phone out to see a text she got from Moblit. "Oh my"

Levi stared at her, "spill it, shitty glasses, who is it?"

She looked at Levi with her eyes wide, "uh.. he just asked me to go to dinner with him tonight" 

"Oh God, Hange, he likes you, for fucks sake" Levi said, "say you'll go with him"

Hange frowned, "a..are you sure? It's not uh, it's not some trick right?"

Levi frowned at that, "Hange, why would you think it was a trick?"

"Before you switched to my school I got asked out on a date and I was so excited to go on one but.. I mean, I picked out my outfit and shaved and did everything my friends told me too. I even put in contacts because people said glasses weren't cute. I even took some of my moms make up, she didn't notice though thank God. But the point is, I really tried with this guy, ya know?" Hange began to pace in the small dorm, "but.. when I got to the restaurant we were supposed to meet at.."

A spout of anger passed through Levi when he came to the conclusion himself, "he didn't show"

She shook her head, "no, he didn't, and I looked like an idiot. I remember walking home just crying my eyes out. I stayed in my room and didn't go to school the next day."

It's hard to even imagine Hange crying, Levi couldn't believe someone would do that to her. She always had such a happy-go-lucky attitude ever since Levi met her, then again, he's only known Hange for almost a year now. But still, who could be so heartless to make his best friend cry? Levi frowned, "I'll kill him if you want me too" he said casually. 

Hange let out a laugh, "no need to be so violent, short stack"

Little did Hange know Levi's casual comment was something that he was so good and discreet at doing. He wasn't joking, but he let her believe that he was. "I'm just saying, nobody should treat you like that. You're a good woman, Hange, and if Moblit can't see that then I would love to have a little talk with him"

That brought a smile to Hange's face, "okay, so I'll say yes to dinner with him, but you have to give me something in return for convincing me to go out on a date"

"And what would that be?" Levi questioned. 

She smiled, "Go on a date with Eren" 

Before Levi could make a comment, Mike turned around. "I second that"

"Fuck off Mike" Levi rolled his eyes and looked back over to Hange, "you can't be serious"

"Oh, I so am" Hange smiled brightly, "please Levi!? Please? If you dont, then I won't go on a date with Moblit"

"But-"

"Levi, just go" Mike interrupted, causing Levi to shoot him a glare. "What's the worst that could happen? We all know you think he's attractive, so go on a date with him. It won't hurt anything, it'll also get Hange to shut up"

"Fine, say yes to Moblit, I'll go find Eren" Levi said, standing up from his bed. "I have to help him with his shitty essay anyways"

"Oh yes! Thank you Levi!" Hange squealed, running up and giving him a hug.

"Tch, whatever"

-

Eren was in his room alone, Connie was out with Sasha doing god knows what while he was stuck inside, bored out of his mind. He finished his school work about a half an hour ago, now working on this tedious English essay that he had to finish. He had his music playing through his laptop, his spotify playlist on shuffle as he typed it up. Levi had managed to help him with most of it two days earlier, he had Eren come up with a structured outline and even helped Eren write the first page, which is how it usually went when Eren asked him for help. 

Speak of the devil, a there was a knock on the door a couple seconds later. Eren sighed in relief, _finally, an excuse not to finish this stupid essay_. He stood up from his chair and stretched, he was only in a pair of boxers and a random blue shirt. He walked up to the door, yawning as he looked through the peep hole. He smiled when he saw it was Levi and he opened the door, "well, what brings you to my humble abode?" 

Lifting his head, Levi looked up at Eren, trying his best to avoid the fact that Eren was indeed not wearing pants and he obviously was not small in that regard. He tried to keep his thoughts rated E for everyone, "Hey, can I come in?"

"It would be my honor" Eren smiled and he opened his door wide for Levi to come in, after his friend walked into his room Eren shut the door behind him. "My rooms a mess, sorry about that, I know you hate that stuff but I didn't know you were coming over"

 _I didn't know I was coming over either,_ Levi thought to himself, _this was all Hange's idea._ He sat down on Eren's bed, "Hange has a date today"

Eren sat back down in his hair, spinning around to look at his friend. "Really? No way"

"Uh hu" Levi mumbled, he laid down on his back, putting his hands behind his head. "Some guy named Moblit, he's her chem lab partner. He asked her out on a date"

"Ah, and I know how you are" Eren let out a chuckle, "very protective of her aren't cha?"

Levi's face flushed and he looked away, "maybe I am, fuck off Yeager"

"No thank you" Eren twirled his pencil in my hand. 

"They're going to dinner and a movie" Levi explained, "and uh.. it would be weird if I went on my own.. to keep an eye on her" _God, his skills for picking up someone he actually like's have gone to shit. probably cause he's never done this before._ "Do you want to come with me to make sure she's alright?"

Eren's eyebrows raised, "like a date?"

Levi looked at the ceiling, anywhere but Eren. "Uh.. stalking date?"

"Stalking date" Eren chuckled, "I would love to accompany you, anything besides doing this stupid essay. So, what time should I be ready for our stalking date?"

The raven hummed, "be ready by six, I don't have my car so we'll take yours. They're having dinner at a different diner down the road, and the movie is right after but I um, they're seeing a horror movie and I know you don't like those so we can see a different one.. if you want"

Eren had a feeling this date wasn't just to stalk Hange, but he let Levi believe he wasn't suspecting anything. "Of course, sure." he checked the time, "I'll be at your dorm room a quarter till five, now get out so I can get ready to stalk"

Levi chuckled and he sat up, "alright, see you later" he said, walking towards the door. 

Eren mumbled a small goodbye and Levi left the room, now it was just Eren and his music and his stupid essay assignment. Well, he thought, tonight was going to be fun. 

-

_"You what? Levi I am going to be perfectly fine, you don't have to do this"_

"Hange, I'm trying to look out for you. If Moblit tries anything with you I'll be right there. Also, it counts as a date cause Eren and I won't be seeing the same movie as you"

_"Ugh! Levi you are impossible. But fine, whatever. I appreciate you looking after me though, thank you"_

"No problem" There was a knock at Levi's door, "that's Eren, gotta go"

_"Bye short stack"_

"See you, four eyes" 

Levi hung up the phone and shoved it in his pocket, he grabbed his pocket knife and shoved it in his boot and made his way to the door. He opened it up, Eren was standing there, looking good like he always did. He was wearing black shoes, tan joggers, a white sweater and a dark blue jean jacket along with a black beanie. No doubt he didn't feel like doing his hair because he was wearing that beanie, but Levi didn't care. He looked good and wow, Levi never felt so attracted to someone before. He paused for a moment before speaking, "H.. Hey Eren"

The taller boy looked down at Levi, his eyes softening at him. Levi wore a pair of black skinny jeans, his light brown boots, dark red shirt with a dark green flannel, a black coat over that. He had his contacts in today, even if Eren liked his glasses better, he still looked good. "Ready to go stalking?"

"Course" Levi smiled and he walked out of his room, shutting the door behind him. He shoved his hand in his pockets as they walked, "I'm so hungry"

"Ditto" Eren said, "come on, let's hurry up so we can eat" 

The two boys rushed to the elevator and when those doors opened they made their way outside. They bristled against the cold, Levi looked up at the sky as they walked to Erens car. It was so cloudy and dull here, he thought to himself. Eren unlocked his car, which was a Light blue Mitsubishi Lancer, and they both got inside. He turned on the car and turned the heat on full blast, "shit" Eren muttered, "it's cold as shit"

"Woah future teacher, watch your potty mouth" Levi said, buckling himself in. 

"Shut up" Eren rolled his eyes, "In Michigan it would be snowing by now."

"I've never seen snow" Levi said as he turned the radio on, "not looking forward to it"

"Its fucking cold" Eren said, and when the car finally warmed up, he checked to see if Levi was buckled in. When he saw his friend was buckled, Eren backed out of the parking lot and made his way towards the diner, occasionally sparing glances over to Levi. This had to be more than a stalking date, he thought to himself, it has to be more. It just has to be. If it isn't, Eren would certainly know that the raven was not as into him as he thought. 

They arrived at the diner about ten minutes later, both boys got out of the car and rushed inside. Levi held the door open for Eren to walk in, and he followed in afterwards. "Booth please, for two" Eren had said, as Levi was too busy warming up his hands. The hostess nodded and took them to a booth, and on their way to the booth Hange and Levi locked eyes. Eren and Levi were two booths diagonal from Hange and Moblit, who looked like they were having a good time. She set the menus down and asked what they wanted to drink, Levi ordered tea while Eren just ordered a water, when she left Eren raised an eyebrow at Levi. "How are they looking?"

The raven eyed Moblit over his menu, "they look like they're having fun, Hange looks happy"

"That's good" Eren said, looking at his own menu. "You're not jealous of her, are you?"

"Why would I be jealous of Hange?" Levi asked, looking over to Eren. 

Eren shrugged his shoulder and leaned back in the booth, "I don't know, if I'm being honest when I first met you two, I thought you had a small crush on her or something" 

Levi wanted to laugh at that, "Eren, I might not make it clear, but I'm strictly into dick" 

Just then the waitress came up, handing them their drinks, and Eren tried making a calm and collected look on his face. _Okay,_ he thought to himself, _so I really do have a chance._ She asked them if they were ready to order, in which Levi replied that they were ready. He simply ordered a sandwich and fries, and Eren ordered himself a plate of wings. She smiled and walked away after taking the order, saying it'll be out soon. When she left, Eren turned back towards Levi, who took glances over at Hange and Moblit while sipping his tea, holding his cup in that weird way yet again. "You're gay?"

"Yeah" Levi replied, he looked to Eren. "Does that surprise you? I'm pretty sure I give off that vibe"

He shrugged and sipped at his drink, "I don't know, you don't act gay thats for sure"

"What? You want me to wear a rainbow over my head or somethin'?" Levi cocked his head to the side, waiting for Erens response. 

The brunette barked out a laugh, "no, that's not what I meant. Just, you're so protective over Hange I thought you were at least bi. When I met you I thought you were straight, but then you told me about Erwin, so was like okay maybe he's bi, but then you were always with Hange I thought you liked her"

Levi gave him a weird look, "you're something special, brat. What about you?"

"What about me?" Eren asked, knowing what question was coming next.

"You know what I'm asking" Levi pointed out.

Eren sighed and nodded, "I uh, I like guys but it wasn't exactly welcome in my home town."

"Wow, in Long Beach it seemed like gays ran the place" Levi said, "it was almost normal there, everyone was accepting back home."

"I've never been, I wouldn't know" Eren said, leaning his elbow on the table. "I didn't come out of the closet until I was sixteen, and that's only because my mom caught me giving a guy head in the car. I don't think I'm ever going to live that one down"

Levi couldn't hold in the snort that came out, "your mom caught you giving head? That's fucking gold"

Eren laughed along with him, "To this day we never talk about it"

"You should come to Cali" Levi said, sipping at his tea. 

"I wish, I don't have the money for a plane ticket or anything. Also, I doubt my family would want to go across the country" Eren explained. 

Levi paused for a second before speaking, "I was uh.. I was talking about just you"

Eren raised an eyebrow, "just me?"

"This Christmas break, just think about it" Levi began, his nerves getting the best of him. "I.. I think you would like it.. only for a couple days and I can fly you back home.. but if you've never been to a beach like you told me..I think you'll have fun"

"Okay" Eren smiled, "I'll think about it"

Their food came minutes later and boys dug in, talking amongst themselves, with Levi occasionally taking glances at Hange. Half way through the date though, Levi found himself transfixed on Eren and not Hange, he started to forget his purpose was to stalk Hange, not to fall for Eren. He listened to yet another one of Erens stories he was telling about back home, and some thoughts about his future on where he wanted to move and how many kids he wanted, and the conversation switched to their favorite shows and then to finals. It was so easy to slip into conversation with Eren, Levi noticed that a long time ago, it felt like they knew each other for years. 

After finishing their meal, they paid for the bill. They finished before Hange and Moblit, and as the two boys walked by, Levi stopped by their booth. He put a hand on Hange's shouler, "hey there stranger" he spoke lightly.

Hange looked up at Levi, seeing Eren standing next to him. She hid her smirk and pretended she had no idea Levi was there, "Hiya there, short stack! How are ya?"

"Great" Levi replied, "just had some dinner, now we're off to a movie" he looked over to Moblit, "who's your friend"

"Uh- Moblit, my name is Moblit" He stood up and held his hand out for Levi to shake, from Hange's description, this had to be her best friend. He had to admit, he thought Levi would be taller, and who was this guy next to him? His boyfriend? "Nice to meet you"

"I don't do handshakes" Levi replied firmly, "but I appreciate the gesture"

"Levi here has OCD, he doesn't like touching skin either" Hange explained, sending her friend a small glare.

"Oh" Moblit smiled anyways, "that's okay, who's your friend?"

Eren stepped up next to Levi, offering his hand. "My name is Eren, mutual friend of Hange and Levi's"

Moblit shook Erens hand, "nice to meet you guys" 

"How's the date doing?" Levi asked, looking in between Hange and Moblit, "that's what this is, right?"

"Yeah" Moblit smiled, looking down at Hange. "It's going good, right?"

Hange smiled up at him, a blush coating her cheeks. "Of course!"

"good" Levi looked up at Moblit, there was a good eleven inches height difference between the two. "because if it wasn't, I'd have to step in"

"Alright alright" Hange punched Levi's arm slightly, "dont you guys have anything better to do?"

Eren picked up on the message Hange was sending and he looked down at Levi, "Ready to go?"

Levi took one last look a Moblit then at Hange, "yeah" he said, "I'll see you guys later, bye Hange, nice to meet you Moblit"

"Likewise" Moblit said, watching the pair retreat and leave the restaurant. He sat back down at his seat and looked to Hange. "That's one scary friend, you got there" 

She sighed, "you have no idea"

-

The boys decided to watch a romance movie, which Levi was bored out of his mind the whole time. He was so full from the food he had his eyes started to droop, and Eren had noticed. He slyly put his arm around Levi's seat, watching the raven look up at him curiously, but he pretended not to notice what he did. He stayed like that for awhile and was about to apologize for being so forward, but then Levi leaned his head against Erens shoulder. Eren looked down at him, surprised, but chose not to say anything and savor the moment. He wrapped his arm around Levi's shoulders and smiled wider when the shorter male plastered himself against Eren's side. This, Eren thought, this is what I want.

When the movie was over, Levi was still leaning against Eren. It took awhile but Levi eventually pulled away from his friends hold, shooting Eren a small smile before beckoning him to leave the theater. They walked out, throwing away their drinks into the trash and they were about to walk outside when Levi stopped, causing Eren to look over to him. "Everything alright?"

Levi's eyes had rounded to form a socked look on his face, "is that snow?" he asked, curiosity overwhelming him.

"Yeah" Eren said, a smile on his face, "looks like, that's gotta be about an inch of snow by now. I forgot you've never seen snow before" 

The raven looked up at Eren for a second, before looking back outside. "I want to touch it"

"Then let's go" Eren opened the door for Levi to walk outside first, and when Levi did he was welcomed with snow blowing everywhere. Eren stood next to Levi, watching the older boys face contort into confusion, but his eyes showed curiosity. He watched as Levi looked around curiously as he shivered, he held his hand out and watched as snow fell onto it. "It's cool, huh?"

Levi looked up to Eren, snow had started to catch on their eyelashes and hair. "yeah, its freezing to the touch though."

Eren nodded his head, "yeah, it is"

They stood in silence for awhile, until Levi's curiosity got the best of him. He walked over to the grassy area, which was now covered in white. Eren watched as the raven bent down and began to trace something onto the snow, he chuckled and picked up some snow in his hands, morphing it into a ball. Once he was satisfied with what he made, he snuck up behind Levi. "Hey Vi, turn around" Once the smaller man turned around he was met with a snowball to the shoulder, some getting in his ear.

"Eren! What the fuck?" Levi whined and looked up at his friend, wiping at his ear. "It's cold"

Eren picked up some more snow and morphed it into a ball, "yeah dumbass, thats the point. Now, better run before I get cha again"

"You wouldn't"

"Oh" Eren smirked, showing Levi the ball he made. "But I will"

That comment started Levi's first ever snowball fight. He learned pretty quickly, morphing snow into a ball and dodging everything Eren threw at him. Eren was laughing loudly as he was hit by another snowball that Levi had thrown at him, and he returned the favor by throwing one at the back of Levi's head. To anyone else it might've looked weird to see two teenage boys having a snowball fight on the side of the movie theater, but both of them didn't give a care in the world. "I'm gonna get you!" Eren yelled over the wind blowing, running towards Levi with two snowballs in his hands, he could barely feel his fingers anymore but he didn't care, he was having fun, and seeing Levi happy made his day. 

Levi screeched and ran from Eren, he was fast, always used to running from the cops when he was a kid gave him the ability to outrun anyone. "Fuck off Eren!" However, the the raven had never run in the snow before and was not aware of how slippery it was. He had begun to slip every time his foot hit the ground, and Eren had caught up to him. He was right on Levi's heels when he watched the smaller boy fully slip and brace for impact in the snow. 

Eren laughed when Levi face planed into the snow, "Dude, I was going to hit you with these but you just ate shit" he dropped the snowballs to the floor, putting his hands on his wet pants, still laughing. "Oh my god, my stomach hurts from laughing so much"

"Glad you're laughing" Levi groaned and he rolled over onto his back, his face was red from the cold and Eren was sure he didn't look much better. "My face hurts"

"Yeah I don't doubt it. Here" Eren smiled, leaning down and offering Levi a hand. "I got cha"

Levi reached up and grabbed Erens hand, standing up and wiping himself off. "Thank you, can we head back to the dorms now? I'm freezing, and I can't feel my fingers, also I stuck my knife in my boot before we left and I think it nicked my ankle"

"You and that damn knife, but yes we can. Come on" Eren lead the way back to the car. _I'll do it when we get back home._

It took a minute to warm up Erens car and get the snow off, but they were on their way and about twenty minutes later they reached the dorms. They got out of the car and rushed inside, shivering. Both of them couldn't feel their fingers and their faces, Levi was extra careful walking into the building since he did not want to fall again. "Let's go back to mine, Connie is out like usual" Eren ordered, and Levi nodded and pressed the button to go to the second level. It was silent until the ding of the elevator rang through the hall, Levi followed Eren to his dorm room, shivering. He was not used to the cold. 

Swiping his key card, Eren opened the door and walked into his room with Levi following suit. He chucked off his shoes and Levi did the same, cringing when he saw his ankle. He grabbed the nearest tissue and wiped the small amount of blood on his ankle, throwing it away in the nearest trash can. He then walked to Erens dresser, sifting through clothes that would fit him. Eren looked behind him as he shed off his jacket, tossing it to the floor. He smiled, "hey Levi?"

"What?" Levi asked, still going through the clothes. 

"Uh.." _Come on Eren, what is the worst that could happen? Rejection?_ He sighed, "Tonight.. it wasn't just to stalk Hange, right?"

From behind, Eren saw Levi's shoulders sag. Levi frowned, looking down. "What gave you that idea?"

The brunette watched Levi shrug off his jacket after a couple moments he spoke again, "well, we saw a different movie than they did and.. I don't know, maybe I'm just getting my hopes up."

"Hope's up?" Levi asked, setting his jacket down.

"Okay" Eren rubbed his hands together, "Levi I.. just answer this question, okay?" he saw Levi nod his head, "was tonight a date?"

Levi stayed silent for awhile, just thinking. Eren got the wrong idea and went to apologize, but Levi surprised him yet again. The raven stood up from where he was sitting, turning around and walking up to Eren, and when he stood in front of him he looked up, meeting his eyes. "Yes"

It was like a weight was lifted off of Erens shoulders, "Okay.. okay good. Do.. do you..?"

"Like you?" Levi raised an eyebrow, watching Eren nod his head. "Yeah, I have for awhile. I didn't realize it, Hange noticed before me."

"How?" 

"I don't share clothes with anyone else, I don't go on random adventures with anyone else, I don't touch anyone else, I don't let other people take photos of me.. need I go on?" Levi crossed his arms over his chest, obviously starting to become uncomfortable, he was not used to talking about his feelings. 

Erens entire face lit up, breaking out into a smile. "Can I touch you?" he asked softly.

"Yes" Levi answered without hesitation. _Oh God, what am I doing?_

He took a step closer to Levi, trying his best not to show how nervous he was. Setting each of his hands on Levi's slim hips, and said boy didn't even flinch or threaten him to get off of him. Eren decided to make another bold move, but decided to ask Levi before he did so he had consent. "Levi.. Can I kiss you?"

There was no hesitation in Levi's answer, he answered faster than his mind could process. "Yes"

It all happened to fast, it was like only the two of them existed. Like Jean never happened, like his mom never died, like that stuff didn't matter. Eren leaned down and pressed his soft lips against Levi's,and Levi lifted his heels off the ground so he was slightly on his tip toes to make it easier on Eren because, to be fair, it was a foot difference between the two. Eren's hands felt warm on his hips, like they were supposed to be there, holding him in place. Levi uncrossed his hands from his chest and shakily wrapped them around Eren's neck, keeping his lips pressed against Erens. The taller boy pulled him in closer so their chests were almost touching, and Levi's hands immediately went into Eren's wet messy hair. He felt Erens grip tighten slightly on his hips and Levi let out a small "hmph".

They pulled away from each other, Levi's arms around Erens neck, and the others' hands on Levi's hips. They didn't move, Levi did not know what to say. Is this how it feels to like someone as much as he liked Eren? Is this what it's supposed to feel like? Eren gave Levi a small smile, "Levi, can I ask you something?"

"Anything" Levi answered, "ask me anything, Eren"

Eren smiled, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Levi's forehead. "Will.. uh, wow" he chuckled, "will you be my boyfriend?"

 _Take the change you fucking idiot,_ Levi could practically hear Hange, Erwin, and Kenny's voices in his ear. He looked up at Eren again, a small smile ghosting his face. He'll do this to help himself heal, it's the least that he can do. 

"Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they're finally dating!  
> i hope you guys liked it :)


	12. He's Like Art. Terrible Art, But Still.. Art.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> little graphic in the beginning, my apologies  
> if you dont like that then basically do not read the whole first half of this chapter

_"Oh fuck Levi.. you're a god send" Jean mumbled, looking down at Levi and running a hand through his black sweaty hair, his bangs plastered against his sweaty forehead. "Fuck, baby, come here"_

_Lifting his mouth of Jeans cock with a small 'pop' sound, a trail of spit connecting Levi's bottom lip and Jeans cock made itself known. Levi looked up at him, swiping his tongue across his bottom lip, breaking the link. He hummed quietly, kissing up Jeans abs and chest, all the way up to Jeans jaw and to his lips. He pressed a kiss to Jeans slightly cracked lips and pulled away, his face was flushed to all hell and his lips looked swollen and almost bruised. "Yes?"_

_Jean smiled and ran his hands down Levi's slim torso, both men were naked on the bed. They've gone at least two rounds now. Levi was now straddled on top of him, he just got another deal and made Jean a lot of money. "You are the best thing to ever happen to me, my little raven. Fuck" he ruffled Levi's hair, "shit, you sitting on top of me is turning me on again"_

_"Oh is it?" Levi smirked, he adjusted himself before sinking down on Jeans now hard cock. He slid on easily, being fucked two previous times._

_"You look so pretty like that, on top of me" Jean smirked, watching his cock disappear inside of Levi. He placed his hands on the ravens hips, "I think you deserve a reward for bring me in some more money, what do you say?"_

_A small moan escaped Levi as Jeans hips bucked up, causing his cock to go in deeper inside the smaller boy. "Uh.." he moaned, "please"_

_And just like that Jean flipped them over and put Levi's legs over his shoulders, fucking the younger boy into oblivion without mercy._

_That same night, Levi and Jean were down in the basement of their home, wearing casual clothes. Nobody else was home, they were all running errands, which left Levi and Jean alone. The older was helping Levi with his self defense skills, teaching him how to break bones in the easiest way possible. He taught Levi the fastest way to get out of being cornered, taught him about negotiations, how to lie like a pro, and how to fight. They did this every single night, Jean made sure Levi moved just like him just in case they got into a fight and Levi tried to out smart him. They were in the middle of wrestling with knives, Levi had the one Jean gave to him while Jean had his own that matched Levi's. Levi eventually out smarted Jean and knocked his boyfriend to the floor, but when Jean tripped him he lost his footing, falling face down yelling a "watch out!" before he collided down on the concrete, his knife sliding down his own arm._

_Blood began flowing out and Levi groaned, "oh fuck" he cursed, holding his arm tightly, pain spreading through his arm._

_Jean knelt down next to Levi, knocking Levi's arms apart and he raised a hand. Before Levi knew it, there was a large amount of pain on the side of his face. "Are you fucking stupid, Levi?"_

_Levi winced and held his cheek, his arm still bleeding. "What do you mean, am I stupid? I told you to watch out, you moron!"_

_"Moron? Oh wow" Jean stared down at Levi, his eyes hard and angry, a look that terrified the raven. He raised his hand again, "call me that again and see what happens"_

_The younger just glared but did not say a word to his boyfriend, who was a lot stronger than he was at the moment. His cheek hurt bad, the pain in his jaw was almost too much combined with the pain in his bleeding arm._

_"In a real right, you would be fucking dead." Jean rolled his eyes, "you're fucking pathetic, you should've let it hit me."_

_"I couldn't do that to you" Levi said, looking up at Jean, a questioning look on his face._

_"What, you have some fucking weak spot?" Jean glared._

_Levi paused, and without thinking about what would happen, he spoke his thoughts. "I love you"_

It happened so fast, Levi wishes he could remember everything that led up to that moment. He remembers the pain, he remembers Jean hitting him and beating him to a pulp. He remembers bleeding out on the basement floor, hearing everybodys voices upstairs asking where he was and hearing Jean say that he just left for a little while. He still sees the blood that came from parts of his body, and sadly to say it would not be the last time it was going to happen.

He never told anyone he loved them after that.

_

Levi moaned loudly when he was pushed against the wall by his boyfriend, kisses being plastered against his pale neck. "Fuck, Eren, ahh" he closed his eyes, enjoying all the sensations. Erens hands were all over him, from his thighs to his hips and stomach, to his shoulder and his neck.

"Mm, Vi" Eren moaned, trailing his lips back up and pressed his lips against Levi's. "Fuck, you're so hot"

They had just left the library working on their final together, two days after they started dating. They rushed to the dorm room to have some alone time from everyone, since all of their friends bombarded them with questions. Also, Eren had pitched a tent and once Levi noticed, it was over for the both of them.

Levi's head hit the wall and he moaned in pleasure, "mm, please keep going Eren, please, fuck" 

The brunette tapped Levi's thighs, "jump"

"With pleasure" Levi said, connecting his lips with Erens again as he jumped. He groaned softly into Erens lips when he felt the others fingers dig into his thighs. Eren walked them over to his bed, thanking the lord that Connie was over at Sashas again. 

He set Levi down on the bed and crawled on top of him, "fuck, I want to ravish you" he said, leaning down and pressing kissed along Levi's neck and onto his collar bone. 

Levi looked up at Eren, pure lust in his eyes. "No Eren, I want to ravish you" he smirked, now this, this was the kind of stuff Levi was good at. He was good at sex, he bottomed like a bitch, a power bottom as you could say. 

Eren looked interested, peeking up at Levi through his eyelashes. "Oh?"

"On your back, Yeager" Levi said, pushing Eren up. "I'm going to give you the best head you've ever had."

With a wide grin plastering itself on his face, Eren eagerly switched places with his partner and laid on his back, now looking up at Levi. The raven had stripped of his coat the moment they got inside the dorm, and was now left in a pair of dark grey joggers and a black t-shirt. His heart felt like exploding out of love for him, he felt like he couldn't handle it. He watched as Levi crawled down his larger body, leaning his head down and unzipping Erens pants with his teeth, causing Eren to groan. "Fuck, Levi, shit" he breathed out, watching him pop the bottom of his jeans using his teeth as well. 

"Just relax, brat" Levi let out a chuckle, pulling down the younger boys pants and tossing them aside, leaning back down and pressing light kisses against Eren's clothec cock. 

Eren moaned out, "oh shit, Levi" he looked down at him, "fuck, you look so hot down there" 

"Bout to look even better" Levi's voice darkened, full of lust. He continued pressing kisses against Erens clothed cock, looking up to see Eren's hands gripping the white sheets of his bed. "Watch me"

The younger boy nodded, eyes half lidded as he looked down, watching the raven sink his teeth into the waistband of his Calvin Klein boxers, pulling them down and off to reveal his cock, springing up and almost hitting his stomach, precum leaking from the tip. Eren groaned, watching Levi crawl back up after disregarding his boxers to the floor, taking Eren in his mouth almost eagerly. "Oh fuck, shit" he moaned, leaning back against the bed. "Oh Levi, please"

Levi wanted to laugh at how Eren practically begged and decided to spare him dome dignity, hallowing his cheeks and leaving his tongue to rest at the bottom of his mouth. Eren was as big as he expected to be, holding a solid eight inches when hard, so the younger boys cock was hot and heavy in his mouth. It's a good thing Levi did not have a gag reflex. Eren wasn't the biggest cock he's had in his mouth over the years, but he was still big enough to stretch Levi's mouth and cause mild discomfort, but that just turned the raven on more as he bobbed his head up and down. He was glad Eren shaved, because one thing Levi hated the most was his nose being buried in public hair. 

He felt the vein pressing against his tongue as he continued to bob his head, sucking to the best of his ability with Eren being so big, but Levi did not back down from a challenge. This was something he was good at, and he wanted to be the one to give his boyfriend of two days the best head he's ever had. Speaking of, as he bobbed his head, he peeked up at Eren, who had his head thrown back in pure pleasure. Levi reached up and grabbed Erens hand, and for a moment the brunette thought Levi wanted a hand to hold but no, Levi put Eren's large hand in his mop of hair, giving him the silent signal to pull. 

And boy, did Eren pull. Every time Levi would pull back and lick the tip Eren's hands tightened in the locks of sweaty black hair. He attempted to buck his hips up and he looked down at Levi, trying his best to hold back, but at the sound of the raven moaning around his cock just about sent him. He gripped Levi's hair tightly, slowly shoving the raven down until he deep-throated his cock. "Fuck, Levi, shit, how can.. fuck.." He moaned out, and after a couple seconds of Levi struggling to breath through his nose, Eren's grip tightened and Levi moved back up. He lifted his mouth from Eren's dick for a couple seconds, catching his breath. 

Eren took a minute, watching Levi's flushed face. His bangs stuck to his face, other strands sticking up from Eren gripping his hair so hard. His lips were red and swollen, precum and spit dripping down his lips and his hooded eyes looked up at Eren. Before Eren could ask if he was okay, Levi smirked and went back down, gathering Eren in his mouth and hallowing his cheeks once more, sucking harder and faster this time with one goal in his mind, to make his boyfriend cum. 

"Oh fuck" Eren groaned and he tangled his hand back into Levi's hair. He gripped tight, noticing the moan that left Levi's mouth the tighter he gripped it. _So he likes pain,_ Eren thought to himself, eyes rolling to the back of his head in pleasure. It was after a minute of Levi's constant sucking and tongue exploring his cock when Eren started to feel the familiar feeling in his lower stomach. He groaned, "Levi.. I.."

Levi had began to notice that Eren was getting close, he could feel it. He could taste it, his cock thick and ready in his mouth. It only encouraged Levi to keep going, the same goal in his mind. He purposely moaned around Erens cock, not ashamed of any noises he had began to make. He listened to Erens sounds, what he liked and didn't, Levi was very observant. He heard a loud groan of "Fuck!" before his face was quickly slammed down, his nose touching Eren's lower stomach as he deep throated the younger boy. Tears gathered in his eyes the longer he was held there, milking Eren of his orgasm. Levi stayed down as long as Eren needed him to, his breaths coming in shallow through his nose. 

After he rode out his orgasm in Levi's mouth, Eren looked down at Levi as he held his head down, hands tight in is hair and looking at the pure lust in Levi's eyes. He pulled Levi's head up, releasing the grip on his boyfriends head. "fuck" Eren breathed out, his breathing was labored from his high. He eyed Levi, who's entire face was flushed bright red, his eyes red and wet, lips red and swollen, spit on the corners of his mouth. "Fuck, baby, come here" he smiled. 

The raven smiled, pulling Eren's boxers back on and crawling back up is boyfriends body and pressing his lips against Eren's. His throat burned and his mouth ached, his jaw tired but he didn't care. He pulled away from Eren, giving him a small smirk. "How was that?" he asked, his voice scratchy and raw.

"You're amazing" Eren said as he cupped Levi's cheeks, "your lips are swollen" he said, running a finger over Levi's now plump bottom limp.

"And your cock is huge" Levi spoke, rolling his eyes. His arms grew tired of holding him up and he laid down onto Erens chest.

Eren let out a laugh and wrapped his arms around the smaller man, holding him tight and smiling as Levi snuggled himself into his side. He kissed the top of his head, "Hey, I've been thinking" he began.

Levi looked up at his boyfriend, "well don't strain yourself"

"Shut the hell up" Eren flicked Levi's nose, "about going to Cali with you"

"Oh?" Levi leaned up on his elbows, looking down at Eren. His face was still a little flushed from his orgasm, he reached one hand up and ran his fingers through Eren's hair. "And?"

"I'll go for a couple days, only if you come with me to Michigan for a couple days. Does that seem fair? Like, our christmas break is three weeks. So for the first week we stay at home, you come to Michigan for the second week, and I come to Cali for the third." Eren explained, "and then we can fly back to Maria together with Hange"

Levi thought for a moment, "we'll have to check with our parents to make sure it's okay with them, but yeah, that seems fair."

"I can't wait to see where you live" Eren smiled, poking Levi's nose, causing him to wrinkle his nose. "You're so cute"

"Don't call me cute" Levi mumbled, moving his arms and laying his head back on Erens chest. "I'm not"

Eren smiled and held Levi close, kissing his head. "yeah, whatever"

-

"I literally don't fucking understand this shit, I mean who needs this anyway? I'm a english and psych major, I'm never going to use this Hange, it's pointless, I'm going to fail"

Hange looked up at her friend, stopping on her final prep for a second. They were in the library on the third floor, where a little noise was allowed. They're finals were in a couple days and both of them were stressed, Hange wasn't sure if she would pass her required computer science class and Levi struggled all to hell with math, which was usual for the both of them. 

"I understand" Hange sighed, running a hand through her hair. "For the first time, I don't understand something. College is so much harder than high school. I hate to say it but I miss it"

Levi looked up at her, a nostalgic look on his face. "I miss it too sometimes, but not really. The only thing I miss is how easy the work was"

She shrugged her shoulders, "not our classmates?"

"Hell no" Levi rolled his eyes, he took a drink out of his water bottle and looked back at Hange, who was now taking a peek at her phone. "Who are you texting?" 

"Moblit" She answered, "he's finishing up his half of our chem lab so we can turn it in early, the only finals I'll have after that is my stats and anatomy, which shouldn't be that hard if we ignore the fact that I was sick and missed a lecture."

"I still can't believe you did that" Levi snickered, looking back at his laptop as he continued typing his essay. "You have to know that if you stay in the cold that long, you'll get sick, especially since we grew up in Cali we'll get sick easily"

Hange pouted, "but you never got sick so far"

Levi pointed his pencil at her, "thats cause I'm awesome"

She rolled her eyes, "hey, Moblit is at Starbucks and wants to know if you wanted anything?"

"Trying real hard to please me, huh?" Levi smirked as he continued to type at his essay, he only had three pages to go now and it was due tomorrow. "Uh- just get me whatever you're getting, I don't really care"

Hange replied to Moblits text and set her phone back down on the table they sat at. She grabbed her pencil and added more stuff to her diagram, "how are you and Eren?"

"We're good" Levi said, full attention on his essay. He wanted to finish it very soon so he can have some free time before they leave campus. "Been dating for about a week now, I'm happy and I'm pretty sure he's happy with me. I haven't officially scared him off yet, thank God"

"That's good" Hange smiled, "I'm glad you two are together Levi, you look happier, and you're not as mean to me anymore"

The raven rolled his eyes and looked at her over his laptop, "watch it shitty glasses, my temper can change very fast."

"I'm aware, just like everyone else" Hange said, and she put her pencil down. "I really do not want to finish this sheet, it's so pointless, it has nothing to do with my major, I'm bored"

"Work through it Hange" Levi chuckled, "if I have to do math then you have to do anatomy"

His phone buzzed then, so he stopped writing his essay to see Eren was calling. A small smile ghosted his face as he excused himself from the table, walking towards the private restrooms and answering the phone. "Well hello there stranger, what's up?"

 _"Hey Vi!"_ Eren's voice rang through the phone loud and clear, _"I miss you"_

"You miss me? Or are you horny again?" Levi asked with a smile on his face, walking towards the window and sitting on the window sill. 

_"Miss you, you idiot. But I'm sure if you were here with me then it would be a different story."_

"Of course it will be, what are you doing?"

 _"Missing you"_ Before Levi could call him an idiot, Eren kept talking. _"I'm working on my english paper, actually I'm about to finish it and since I'm writing it on google docs I was hoping I could share it with you so you can look over it? I checked your math project by the way, everything is correct now that I fixed it. You can come by and get it later if you want."_

"Yeah okay, sure. I'll pick it up later, I'm with Hange now because we're finishing our homework. I have to finish this english essay and then I should be done with my finals. Moblit is coming with starbucks pretty soon"

_"Oh? So you haven't scared him off yet?"_

Levi pondered for a moment, "no, I like him. He's good for Hange, I could see it... she deserves it"

_"That's good Levi, really. I'm glad to hear that. All of us should hang out before break ends, we should all have one more dinner before we leave. Ya know, invite the whole gang"_

"yeah, agreed" Levi said as he yawned, "Hey, I'm going to let you go. I really have to finish this essay and it's killing me. Send me your essay and I'll edit that too, okay?"

_"Alright Levi, bye, love you"_

The raven paused, saying nothing. He felt a wave of shock course through his body, his fingers beginning to tremble, he thought he was going to drop the phone. I love you, it sounded so foreign to him, the last person that said that to him was Kenny.. but he was his uncle. The one time he told Jean he loved him, he had gotten beaten to a pulp in the cold dark basement. Levi groaned in pain as a searing headache made itself known where his forehead was. He raised a hand to his head.

Eren couldn't love him, he couldn't.. right? This had to be some mistake. He couldn't say it back, what if he was like Jean? No Levi, he thought to himself, he's not Jean, you're just traumatized. Eren wouldn't... would he?

_"Levi? I'm sorry I know that's too soon.. hey, Levi? Baby, are you okay? I can hear your breathing, talk to me"_

Levi looked around to make sure nobody was looking before he spoke again, "C..Can't.."

_"Hey.. you don't have to say it back Levi, okay? I just got ahead of myself, I understand you have your own problems to work out and until you figure things out I will be right with you. Jean isn't here, okay? It's me, it's just Eren"_

"I'm going to go" Levi mumbled out once his breathing evened out. "I have stuff to finish and I.. I'm just gonna go, okay? I'll see you later Eren"

_"Right.. bye baby"_

Levi hung up the phone and shook his head, rubbing his palm against his forehead. How could Eren love him already? It's been a week, only a week. Maybe he's one of those cliche type of lovers, he remembers Erwin telling Armin he loved him within two weeks of dating. If his past wasn't so bad then this would be easier, but sadly Levi was not blessed with an easy childhood. He sighed to himself, urging his racing heart to calm down so he can return to Hange like nothing ever happened.

Allowing himself to take a couple more deep breaths, Levi finally fixed his posture and put on a poker face. He walked out of the hall, shoving his phone back in his pocket. He saw Hange sitting at their table and Moblit was now next to her, his arm around her shoulders and his hair was still a little damp, he must've just walked in. He made his way to the table, acting like nothing ever happened. "Hey" he said.

"Hey Levi" Moblit greeted, "Hange told me to get you a pink drink, hope that's okay?"

"That's fine, thank you" Levi said as he sat back down in his chair, he looked at his drink and grabbed it, noticing how big the drink was. "This is huge, what size is this?"

Hange nodded towards all of their cups, "it's some size that starts with a T, its the largest size they have but it's not on the menu"

"Must've been expensive" Levi said, taking a sip of his drink and looking at Moblit over the large cup. It almost looked too large for Levi's small frame. "I can pay you back"

Moblit shook his head, "no you're fine, it didn't drain my money too bad. Technically it was my dads money, so it's fine"

Levi didn't question it and he just nodded his head, he turned to Hange. "How's the homework coming along?" he asked, setting his drink down and looking at his computer. He got a notification and saw that it was from Eren's email address, he opened it and began to look over his boyfriends essay. 

Hange groaned and leaned against Moblits side, he had his arm around the back of her seat. "It's killing me, it's not even due for another two days but I just want to get it done."

Moblit let out a small laugh, "I finished my half of our chem project, if that makes it easier on you. I'll turn it in so you don't have to worry about it."

"You're amazing" Hange said, sipping her drink. "Thank you. Now I just have computer science and anatomy to do, anatomy is easy but I'm just getting lazy"

"Well if you lose your scholarship don't come crying to me" Levi commented, pressing edit on Eren's essay and began typing. 

"Like I would do that" Hange stuck her tongue out, "you're so mean"

Levi looked over his laptop at them, "mean is my specialty"

Moblit locked eyes with Levi and then looked back down at Hange, "how are you and Eren?" he asked, trying to start conversation. 

The raven shrugged his shoulders, "We're doing okay, been a week since we started dating so we're taking it slow"

Hange let out a laugh, "taking it slow? Connie came to me the other say saying you and Eren were being too loud and he wanted a place to crash."

They watched Levi's face flush and he looked down at his laptop once more. "Alright alright, shut the hell up brat. Leave us alone"

The couple let out a shared laugh, leaning back in their seats. The three of them talked for awhile, eventually Moblit followed Levi on instagram and Levi followed him back, and they exchanged numbers. The rest of the time they all worked on their homework together, Levi eventually putting his headphones in so he didn't have to listen to Moblit and Hange talking. He observed them as he worked. Moblit seemed like a great guy, he was gentle and he was good at conversation starters, he seemed very social. He seemed to have a lot of money too, judging by the brands of clothes that he wore, his phone, computer, and clothes. Levi normally would've made fun of someone like him, but he also had to remember he had plenty of money stored away in a savings account from dealing drugs, a lot of it he stole from Jean. 

Day turned into night and Hange and Moblit eventually said their goodbye's to Levi, saying they would see him later. Levi looked up and took an airpod out of his ear, he gave the two of them a small wave. Moblit figured that was the most that he would get and he gave Levi a small wave back, turning and wrapping his arm around Hange as they walked towards the exit and out the door. Levi sighed and leaned back against his seat, he finished editing Eren's essay about an hour ago and he was now on the last page of his own essay. He was determined to finish it tonight. 

With a frown etched on his face, he shoved his air pod back in and began typing his essay once more. It only took one more hour and with aching fingers, the raven submitted his essay. He breathed out a sigh of relief and shut his laptop, closing his eyes and rubbing them. He's been staring at this computer screen for a good six hours straight, thats what he gets for trying to finish all his homework in one day. He removed his hands and blinked a couple times, adjusting to the light of the library. He packed his stuff away in his black book bag and stood up, keeping his air pods in and music playing as he walked his way back to his dorm. 

_"We make up, but I know we'll fist fight_

_Through iphones, my left hooks' a no show_

_Cause I'll just keep lettin' you win_

_But baby, the truth is I make your excuses_

_You let me down and I'm used to it.."_

At a fast pace he made it to his dorm, using his keycard he opened the door and walked inside. He looked to Mike's side of the room, seeing him already asleep. Levi shuffled around the room quietly, setting his book bag down on the floor by his bed. He took out his airpods and shoved them in his book bag and changed into a pair of his pajama pants and one of Eren's sweatshirts. He laid down on his bed and pulled the covers over himself, closing eyes, eventually falling into a deep slumber. 

-

"I'm sorry"

"You're what?"

It was the next day and Eren was just waking up from sleeping for a good nine hours, still wearing his shirt from yesterday. He had woken up to knocking at his door and he looked around to see Connie still asleep in his bed, mouth wide open and snoring loudly. Eren just rolled his eyes, sitting up and stretching, cracking his back in the process. He yawned and stood up, making his way to the door. He didn't even look through the peep hole and there stood Levi, wearing one of his sweatshirts he lent to the raven a couple days ago.

"Huh?" Levi had asked, looking up at Eren. He noticed how Eren's hair looked like a monster to tame in the morning, and the look on his face showed that he had just woken up.

"What are you sorry for?" Eren asked, rubbing his eyes and leaning against the door frame, and Levi caught a glance at Eren's muscled arms. 

The shorter boy looked down for a second, then back up at Eren. "You weren't ignoring me?"

Eren looked down at Levi in confusion, "Levi-what? I just woke up, why would I be ignoring you."

"Oh" Levi shifted his weight from one foot to another, Eren thought it was adorable. "I.. I've been texting and calling all day but you weren't answering and I thought that you were mad at me about yesterday"

Recognition showed on Erens face, his mouth forming into an 'o' shape. He looked back at Connie, and then back at Levi. "Hold on, no one is in the lounge are right? Let's talk there, Connie is in here" he said and he turned, grabbing his phone off of his night stand and key card, shutting his room door. He yawned again and followed behind Levi until they got into the lounge area. There was only one person there and they were in the kitchen. Levi sat on the couch by the window, Eren sitting down next to him. 

"What's this about, Vi?" Eren asked, throwing his arm around the back of the couch, watching Levi lean back and rest his head against Eren's arm. 

The raven was quiet for a moment before speaking. "I told Jean I loved him once"

Eren raised an eyebrow, curious. "Oh?"

"And he beat the fucking shit out of me" Levi's face contorted into anger, his lips curling into a snarl. "He was teaching me how to fight and got mad at me when I didn't go at him with full force, I missed his body and I basically ate shit. He asked me why I didn't hit him and do you want to know how stupid I was?" he looked up at Eren, a frown on his face. "I told him I loved him, and the next thing I knew I was bleeding out on his basement floor. I didn't see him again for a whole day, not like I could move after that though"

He watched as Levi absentmindedly traced a long scar on his left arm that went from the middle of his forearm to his wrist. He frowned, how could someone do that to Levi? His Levi? "Why was he teaching you to fight?" he asked cautiously, knowing this was a touchy subject for his boyfriend.

"To protect myself" Levi answered honestly, "his career and friends were a piece of shit, but there was some good in him. He taught me how to survive on the streets, how to get my way, self defense, everything. I realize how how stupid I was to ever believe he ever cared about me but.. a part of me wishes he kind of did. The entire relationship was one sided, he used me for his benefits, bribed me with money and my families safety" 

It took Eren a second, taking it all in. What kind of guy was Jean? How did he use Levi? And who in the hell beats their partner when they tell them they love them? This is why Levi reacted the way he did when Eren told him he loved him yesterday. "Levi" he said, causing him to look up, his eyes dull. "You can acknowledge the few good qualities that Jean had, but none of that adds up to what he did to you. I get there is still a lot that I don't know about what went on between you too, but from what I heard he's a piece of shit who never deserved you. Nobody should beat their partner up after being told 'I love you'. Did.. did you think I was going to do that to you?"

Levi looked down to his lap, tracing the lines on his pants and his silence was the only answer Eren needed. He frowned and cupped Levi's sharp jaw with his large hands, making the raven look back up at him. "I will never hurt you, Levi" He strictly said. "I will never touch you if you don't want me too, I will never invade your space if you don't want me too. I'll give you your space when you need it. You never have to be scared of me Levi, I love you"

"Why do you?" Levi looked up at Eren, "If you knew everything I've done.. you would think that I was some sort of fucked up monster"

"I don't know your past" Eren began, "but it looks like you don't want to be known by your past. I know the Levi right now, and I'll continue to know him throughout the future. Okay? You tell me whenever you're ready, if you ever decide to tell me.. alright?"

Levi couldn't help but give Eren a small smile, nodding his head. "Okay, thank you Eren"

Eren smiled and pecked Levi's lips, "now, how about we get some breakfast?"

"It's noon" Levi pointed out.

"Huh?" Eren checked his phone and hummed, that's why Levi was concerned that he was ignoring him. "Well would you look at that"

"I don't know how you sleep in that late, I can never sleep past seven" Levi commented.

"You're just weird" Eren smiled, "Well, let me go get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs? We'll walk to the cafe, see what they're serving for lunch."


	13. Nothing Like An Ackerman Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everyone goes home for christmas break  
> levi's 19th birthday

_Heavy breathing and the sound of grunting was heard throughout the basement of Jean's home. It was dark downstairs, one side of the basement had a bar and the other side was empty except for weapons covering the walls and a wipe board with deals written on it. There was no cell reception down there, so if you came down you couldn't bother calling for help. And if Levi or Jean brought you downstairs, you were ultimately fucked. Right now, only Levi and Eld were downstairs because Jean had to make a phone call, something important coming up._

_Eld was another member of Jeans gang, it consisted of a good fifty people at this point, boys and girls and whoever. Levi was required to memorize everybodys name, and Eld was a new recruit Jean brought in. Jean trusted Levi to take him under their wing, since they were close in age. Levi being seventeen and Eld being eighteen years old. Levi was already too loyal to Jean at this point, there was no going back for him. So when Jean ordered him to teach Eld how to fight, of course he followed the order._

_"Fucking dunk your head!" Levi shouted as he aimed the knife right at Elds face, right between his eyes. The knife was now a inch away from his face, Levi watched as Eld looked down at him. "Tch, when Jean said he had a new recruit I didn't think he would be suicidal"_

_"You always preach of having no fear" Eld spoke, putting his hands up in surrender. "So I did not move"_

_Levi narrowed his eyes, silver eyes piercing into his opponents. "I see your point, but I only stopped so I would not kill you since Jean seems awfully interested in you. Next time someone aims for your face, go up from under and attack their neck. Do you understand me?"_

_Eld nodded his head, watching the smaller man bring the knife down. "Understood. How long have you been here for?" he asked curiously._

_"Do I look like I want to make small talk with you?" Levi crossed his arms over his chest, "Tch, whatever"_

_It was silent for a couple moments before they had begun fighting again like instructed, Levi clean cutting with his knife and Eld observing him as he moved. Jean came down the stairs, looking at both of them. He hummed and called Levi's name, "Levi, hurry it up, I gotta talk to you"_

_"Will do" Within a couple of seconds, Levi had Eld pinned to the ground with a knife to his neck. Once Eld tapped out, Levi twirled his knife and shoved it in his belt as he stood up, following Jean up the stairs. Once they were out of the basement, they went of earshot from everybody else. When they were in a spot where no one else would hear them, Jean turned to Levi. "Reiner wont buy"_

_Levi's eyes practically bulged out of his head, "Are you serious?"_

_Jean nodded and ran a hand through his hair, "he practically runs the north side, if he doesn't buy, we'll run out of shit. Well, not run out but we'll be in trouble for a good couple months. I need you to convince him Levi"_

_The raven nodded his head, "I understand, but if you said he won't buy, what should I do?"_

_"Same thing you did to Zane" Jean said, putting a hand on Levi's shoulder. "Figure your shit out, do your research on him, find a vulnerable point. Find everything you can about him and his personal life, if things take a turn for the worst we can go for Bertholt. I'll provide you with a getaway car when you go"_

_"And when will I be going?"_

_"Tonight"_

_"..okay"_

-

Time passed by pretty quick since every student was miserable. Studying every day and night just to pass their finals, the gang wondered if it was going to be like this every single year. At least next semester they all knew to brew some extra coffee and caffeinated tea, along with more money in their pockets. They had finally finished all of their testing, and after hours of stressing each day they were confident that they passed and were excited to head back home for a month of Christmas break. 

Packing had become a routine thing for everyone, especially Connie and Mike. They often packed up a bag and stayed in each others dorms so Levi and Eren could have some privacy for the last two weeks of being on campus before break. The two had been so sexually active it drove all of their friends nuts, but also happy there wasn't any more tension between the two boys. Mike and Connie had become great friends, despite how different they were from each other. They bonded over Call Of Duty and being psych majors, they even helped each other pass their final exams since they were in basically the same classes. 

Hange and Sasha spent a lot of time together, she figured out Sasha had a little crush on Connie and Hange was determined to get them together. Her and Moblit were doing fantastic, they were not dating yet but Hange was over the moon about having a nice man wait for her. They went on many dates, geeked out over some show almost every night, and Hange couldn't be more happier to know her almost boyfriend and her best friend got along. The two would not hang out by themselves, but it was okay. 

Both Levi and Eren were in their own little world for the most part, they were together for almost a month. Spending the night in each others dorm rooms, blow or hand jobs or random make out session in the most random parts of the day. Levi would grab Erens hand and lead them somewhere private, even going against his own form of OCD and blowing his boyfriend in the public rest room, maybe sometimes in the library under the desk Eren would sit at trying to study for yet another test. 

Not that Eren minded, but he was no idea his boyfriend was such a sex addict. Levi always seemed so cool and controlled all the time but he moment Eren pitches a tent, its over. They haven't had sex yet, Eren said he wanted to wait for some unknown reason he would not tell the raven, but it's not like Levi questioned him about it. He just figured Eren wanted to wait for the right moment or something since he was the romantic type. He was the type to show up at Levi's door with some flowers or some candy, or have candle-lit photo shoot outside in the snow.

The raven had managed to convince Eren of minoring in photography, Eren said he would start working on that when they began their junior year. Since then they've been prepping for second semester, picking out their classes and finding it exciting to see some of their classes were in the same building. Levi had made a comment about more secret blow jobs around the corner of the hall, causing Eren to bark out a laugh in the middle of the lounge room in their housing. 

They still had their issues to work out though, not everything was bliss, especially in Levi's mind. Getting into the swing of being with someone romantically made him feel like his ears were steaming half the time. Sometimes he got in fits of anger because he didn't know why he felt like this. He didn't quite understand the depths of a romantic relationship, and Eren tried his best to show Levi since Jean obviously was not the best role model for him. Sometimes Levi had bad nights like this one. He didn't spend the night in Eren's room, he was in the lounge room after facetiming Kenny, he fell asleep on one of the chairs. He slept peacefully for about an hour but then memories of his past seemed to weave their way through his once peaceful dream. 

_Tough hands were wrapped around his slim neck, he was sure there was going to be finger print bruises left over on is neck after Jean was done taking his anger out on him. He had just found out about the Reiner situation, about how he had to run to the top floor and jump out a window onto Isabels car. He was not very happy about how damaged Isabels car had gotten, and how Levi's arm had to be in a sling for the next three weeks. He had just read the report that Levi gave him and the first thing he did was slam the raven against the wall, big hands around his neck and an angry fire in his eyes. For the first time, you exclude the encounter with Reiner the day before, Levi felt terrified for his life._

_The thing was, Jean could kill anyone with his bare hands. He was tall, strong, filled out, easily capable of taking anyone on because of his knowledge of the streets. He had been doing this since he was a kid, it was like a family business of some sort. He was very experienced and very aware, alert of everything that happened around him. He took Levi in, training him to be the same way. He wanted them to be a team, a very strong team. This was the first time Levi did not get his way in a deal and it almost cost him his life, and Jean was angry._

_"I tell you to sort out a deal, and you fail me?" Jean sneered, "And you get yourself hurt? What the fuck, Ravaille? I expected better of you"_

_A whimper escaped Levi as he brought his one usable hand up, resting it on Jeans arm. "J-Jean.. can't... breath" he wheezed out._

_Jean just tightened his grip on Levi's throat, staring into Levi's face that was slowly losing color, he didn't care. Levi needed to learn his lesson. "Ravaille, I brought you into this thing wanting you to have a perfect dealing record. You excel at everything, and now you fail me? We need Reiner, you know how money that would give us? We can get out of Long Beach, head to LA and I can give you everything you need, you fucking idiot."_

_He whimpered under Jeans gaze, he could feel the oxygen leaving his body. He could kick Jean, both of his legs were available but the older man had the advantage. While Levi only had three limbs available, Jean had four and more knowledge. Levi was at a big disadvantage. "I.."_

_The older man brought a knee up, kneeing his youngest gang member in the stomach. Levi couldn't double over with the hands around his throat, but his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he gasped out in pain. "I'm locking you in here, think about what you've done, Ravaille. Next time do not fail me." He then let go of the raven, watching him cripple to the floor. "Tch"He rolled his eyes and left the room, locking the door, leaving Levi gasping out in pain with tears running down his face._

He gasped as he opened is eyes, his hand reaching down and grabbing the knife that was in his pocket. He looked around while he gathered his surroundings. Once he felt his breathing pick up he rushed around, holding onto his phone tightly while he shoved it in his pocket, jogging down the hallway to Erens room. He kept looking over his shoulder, afraid Jean was behind him. He felt chills run down his spine, and not the good kind. He was terrified, he was alone, the only thing on his mind was that Jean was still out there wanting to kill him. He arrived at Erens dorm and he banged on the door as loud as he could, breathing heavy, not from jogging but from the panic attack that was making itself known. 

When he heard the sound of banging Eren woke up, he looked around to see Connie not in the room. Did he forget his key card? Eren groaned and got out of his bed, "Dammit Connie, what the fuck" he yawned and he made his way to the door. He got angry when there was knocks again, he grabbed the door handle and swung the door open. "Connie, what the hell-"

"Eren" Levi stood there, looking pale and shaken up. His eyes were blown wide, tears brimming and hands shaking. "Eren"

"Oh, baby" The sleep left Eren's body and his attention immediately went to his boyfriend, "Come here, Vi, come here"

A small body slammed into Eren's, wrapping his arms tightly around Erens and burying his face in his chest. The taller boy was about to say something when he heard Levi let out a sob, "Oh.. Levi..come on" he leaned down and tapped the older boys' thighs. "jump for me babe"

Using the little strength he had from his current panic attack, Levi jumped up and wrapped his arms around Erens neck. He didn't let the tears fall, he held those in, but he gripped Eren tight. He heard the door shut and he buried his face in Erens shoulder. He felt Eren sit down on the bed, so Levi was now straddling him. "I.. I.."

"Shh" Eren shushed him, kissing Levi'd temple. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around his boyfriend. "It's okay Vi, I'm here. It's just Eren, you're safe"

Levi whimpered into Erens shoulder, his breathing frantic but not as frantic as before. "..ren.."

Eren rubbed Levi's back, he tried to ignore the shaking coming from him. "Come on sweetheart, breath for me. Whatever happened, it's not happening here. Was it another nightmare?" he felt Levi nod his head. "Oh babe, hey. You know you're not in that bad place anymore, and I will never allow you to go back there. Jean can't get either of us, you know that."

"But when I go home" Levi sniffled, keeping his tears at bay. "I don't want to go home, Jean's at home- he- he.."

"Baby, breath for me" Eren shushed, running his hand through Levi's hair. "You've avoided Jean for this long, I doubt it'll be an issue. Besides, you have Erwin and Hange and your uncle Kenny. And you'll be coming to Michigan with me for a week, and then I'm coming to Cali with you. You're not gonna be alone. Besides, I know it's going to be a special someone's 19th birthday on Christmas, maybe I should give you your gift now then since I won't be able to see you"

Levi looked up at Eren then, leaning into Eren's hand that rubbed his eye, ridding of the small tear that almost escaped his eye. "you got me a birthday gift?" he asked. 

Eren gave him a small smile, glad Levi was starting to regain composure. "Yeah I did, you want to see it?"

"Yes" Levi spoke softly, sniffling. Honestly he didn't expect to get a gift from Eren, but he was glad that Eren cared enough

"Okay" Eren held onto Levi as he reached under his bed, grabbing two small boxes. He sat back up and held the two boxes out to Levi, who curiously took one of the small black boxes. "Open it" Eren encouraged. 

Levi raised an eyebrow, "please tell me you're not proposing to me?"

The brunette let out a small laugh, wrapping his arm back around Levi's slim waist. "No, gosh, not anytime soon at lease"

"Good" Levi gave him a soft smile and looked back down at the box he grabbed from Eren. He shook it for a second before taking the top off, moving whatever tissue paper covered the gift. What was revealed was a.. belt? Levi took it out and looked at it curiously, it didn't look like a regular belt to him, it didn't have belt loops. Was this some fort of fancy thing he's never seen before? Levi looked at Eren, "it's not a regular belt, what is it?"

Eren smiled at him, "you're right it's not a regular belt. I found it online and put your size in, you don't need to worry about adjusting it. Here, stand up Vi"

The shorter man nodded and slid off of Eren's lap, standing up and Eren following suit. He watched as Eren came closer to him, "put it on and you'll see what I'm talking about" Eren said. 

Levi nodded his head and unwrapped the belt, he put it through the belt loops of his jeans and he went to buckle it together, but he stopped, feeling something hard in the front of it. He looked down curiously, there was a long black metal part that was meant to be buckled together but.. something was inside it? His curiosity got the best of him, and Eren watched as the shorter man figured it out quickly, pressing a small button at the top of the belt and sliding a knife out from under the black metal. Levi's eyes widened and a smirk covered his face, he held the knife and traced it with his fingers, looking up at Eren. "And I thought you hated me having a knife?"

"Figured you would like to have something like that" Eren smiled, "you can access it faster and easier rather than a knife in your book bag. And if you ever run into someone kinda sketchy, I want you to have easier protection, even though I know you can handle yourself just fine."

"I.. " Levi didn't know what to say, he snapped the knife back into the belt easily where it couldn't be seen and looked back up at his boyfriend. "Thank you, Eren"

He smiled and grabbed the other box, handing it to Levi, who took it. "Here's the other gift, open it"

The smaller man nodded, he was excited. If he liked the first gift, he would love the second gift. He took the ribbon off the box and let it fall to the floor, taking the top off and tossing it back on Erens bed. He removed the tissue paper and he looked up at Eren, who gave him an encouraging nod. He looked back down, in the box was a knife holder. One with straps, that would easily wrap around Levi's new belt Eren got for him. On the side of it said Ackerman and Levi wanted to smile, he looked back up at Eren. "Thank you"

"It's for the knife you always carry, the one that Jean gave you" Eren said, watching Levi's face fall. "Come on Levi, I know he gave it to you. How else would you have gotten it?"

"I don't know"

"I don't care that he gave it to you" Eren said, "I care that you can protect yourself and you feel safe, okay? I know that thing fits, I may or may not have took it while you were sleeping and measured it"

Levi nodded and he leaned up on his tip toes, grabbing Eren's face and pressing a kiss to his boyfriends lips. He felt his arms wrap around his small waist and Levi smiled as he pulled away, "Thank you Eren, I love you"

The look of shock on Erens face was one for the books, it made Levi want to laugh. Erens face softened down at Levi, his smile widening and he pressed a kiss to Levi's forehead. "I love you too Vi, I love you so much"

-

"Oh hell yeah! Christmas break baby! I'm ready to go home and feel the hot California sun again!" 

"Hange, shut the fuck up!"

Both Levi and Hange were riding in the back seat of Eren's car while he drove them to the air port since it was freezing. Eren was in the front along with Connie, who was playing some games on his phone. When he heard the two in the backseat getting loud he groaned, turning to look at his friends. "Why don't both of you shut up? We're almost there, she can't annoy you that much" he gave Levi a pointed look. 

The raven glared, "how about you sit back here with her then? Oh wait, you already took a front seat."

"Shouldn't Levi get the front seat because he's the boyfriend?'

"Actually shitty glasses, yes, keep talking"

"Oi, chill out" Eren said, looking into his rear view mirror to see Levi already staring at him. He gave the two a small smile, "To be fair, Levi you're the only one who can handle Hange and her loud-ness"

Hange rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue, "oh whatever Eren"

 _"oh whatever Hange"_ Eren mocked, rolling his eyes as he pulled into the parking lot of the air port. He looked behind him at his boyfriend and the ravens best friend, "we're here, let's get your stuff out of the car okay?"

"Okay!" Hange quickly got out of the car and Eren pressed the button to open the trunk, Connie and Levi getting out afterwards. They all walked to the trunk, taking out bags and making sure nothing was left forgotten. Connie handed Hange her bags and went through the rest of the stuff.

They were all shivering in the freezing cold, wearing thick winter coats, gloves, and hats. The wind was howling, stinging their faces with the cold. While Connie handed Hange her bag, Eren handed Levi one of his bags and shut the trunk when they finished grabbing everything. He turned to his boyfriend, watching as Levi looked up at him, his face red from the cold and his nose starting to run. He smiled softly, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the ravens forehead. "i'll miss you" he whispered over the wind. 

Levi looked up at Eren, giving him a small smile. "Aw, that's cute, you're gonna miss me?"

Eren rolled his eyes, "shut up asshole, you're going to miss me too"

The shorter male smiled a bit, "yeah, you're right. Now give me a kiss so Hange and I can get our asses inside, cause I'm fucking freezing."

"Yes sir" Eren laughed and he cupped both of Levi's cheeks with his glove covered hands. Levi's hands were full of bags and his suitcase, so he didn't move. He watched as Eren leaned down, pressing his lips against his own. Levi smiled into the kiss, and he felt Eren do the same. Eren pulled away, giving his boyfriend a little smile and pressing a kiss to his little nose. "I love you, Levi"

Levi nodded, leaning into Erens hand that still rested on his cheek. "I love you too, I'll text you when we get home, okay?"

Eren nodded, pressing one more kiss to Levi's forehead before pulling away, "okay"

The raven gave Eren one more smile before walking over to Hange, whacking Connie in the head as he did so."Hey!" Connie shouted, going to smack Levi back when the raven let out a laugh, dunking his head and jogging to Hange, a middle finger up on display. "Goodbye shrimp!" he laughed. 

Connie rolled his eyes, holding two middle fingers up. "shut the fuck up"

"It's so nice having someone shorter than me" Levi said, wrapping his arm around Hange. "Bye guys, see you soon" he smiled.

Hange wrapped her arm around Levi, "see you guys later! We'll miss you!"

The two California natives watched as the two got into Eren's car, shutting the doors and starting the car again. Levi locked eyes with Eren, giving him a small smile as he waved. The brunette blew a kiss and Levi rolled his eyes, leaning against Hange as they watched their friends drive away. When the car left the parking lot, the two grabbed their bags and walked quickly inside to try and avoid getting any colder. Once they were inside, they breathed in the smell of plastic chairs and freshly made pretzels and cheese. They trudged to their terminal, silence between the two. They were so tired, and the moment they would get on the plane they would fall asleep no doubt. 

Oh well, it'll make up for all the sleep they lost this semester. 

-

When they arrived home, Levi was picked up by Kenny and Hange was picked up by her parents. They hugged each other goodbye because they wouldn't be seeing each other for a couple days and they went their separate ways. Both were groggy on the way home, Levi fell asleep in the car on the way back to their home. He was exhausted, for some reason he could barely sleep on the nine hour plane ride, but Kenny didn't mind. He just drove with the music on low, looking at the scenery as they made their way home. 

It was a good thirty minute drive from the airport to their shared home, and when they arrived Kenny pulled into the driveway. He shut the car off and looked over at his nephew, his eyes softening. The only time he looked peaceful was when he was sleeping, and Kenny hated to wake him up. He sighed softly and quietly got out of the car, popping the trunk and got Levi's bags out. Kenny walked to the front door and typed in the security code of the house, stepping inside and setting Levi's bags down in the living room. Then he turned around and walked outside back to the car and opening the passenger side door, revealing his still asleep nephew. Kenny unbuckled his seat belt, reaching forward and picking Levi up bridal style and shutting the door. He turned and began to walk inside when Levi stirred, "Kenny?" 

"Go back to sleep you runt, you look like you need it" he said, opening the front door once again.

"Almost nineteen.. don't need to be carried.."

"Yeah, whatever" Kenny laughed and he opened the front door and walked inside, shutting it behind him. He walked to the living room couch set the boy down. "I'll grab ya a blanket from upstairs, go ahead and nap and I'll order some food, alright?"

Levi looked up at Kenny and nodded his head, burying his face in the couch pillows, which smelled freshly clean. He sighed and closed his eyes once more, falling into yet another slumber. 

The eldest Ackerman walked upstairs into Levi's room, grabbing his black blanket and heading back downstairs. He walked back to the couch and set it on top of Levi, covering him and tucking him in. He never got to do this anymore, sometimes he wondered if Levi cared that he even did it at all. He knows Kutchel used to do it to him because Levi told him when he was a kid. Speaking of Kutchel, did Levi ever open that toolbox? He sighed and shook his head, he wouldn't even ask. He just looked down at his nephew, threading his fingers through the dark silky hair before standing back up and heading to the kitchen, grabbing a beer and his laptop, he had to get back to work. 

Over the next couple days, Levi and Kenny have been staying in the house with the exception of buying food and playing some sport in the back yard. They kicked some soccer balls, threw some footballs, played some bad mitten, sometimes even a little tennis. They went on runs every morning, each with one headphone in so they can also talk to each other, and stopped at the cafe to get something to drink afterwards. Both Ackermans were in tip top shape always, there was rarely any junk food in their house but none of them minded. They were both health freaks, which annoyed the hell out of Hange and Erwin whenever they would come over. 

Using his left over drug money yet again, Levi had set out on a quest to buy his uncle and friends something for Christmas. He had just gotten dressed into some pants and a t-shirt, putting on the belt Eren had gotten for him for his birthday. He just ran a hand through his hair and put on his usual boots, grabbing his phone and wallet and jogging down the stairs. He looked over at Kenny, who was typing away on his laptop like usual. "Hey, I'm going out, see you later tonight"

"See ya brat, bring me back something to eat" Kenny said without looking up.

"Will do" Levi grabbed his keys off of the table, "bye" and he swiftly turned around, walking out the front door. He shut it, having it lock on its own due to the new security system Kenny installed about a month ago. Levi made his way over to his car, unlocking it with his fob. When he was about to walk in his car, he heard a small yell of "Wevi!" and he looked over, seeing his neighbors outside wrapping presents. He smiled a bit, disregarding his car and walking over there. "Hey" he said.

The people that lived right next to him were peaceful people. It was an old couple, Max and Francine and their grandchild Oliver who was only five years old. His parents were addicted to drugs and now serving time in jail, they have five more years until they were released and until then Oliver was required to stay with his grandparents, having no other family. Levi would watch Oliver sometimes, he's known the boy since he was about two years old. Speaking of the kid, the five year old ran over to Levi, squealing as he jumped into the ravens arms. "Hi Wevi!"

The raven smiled, "hey kid" he said, ruffling Olivers orange hair. He was a ginger, his eyes blue as the sky and his hair as curly as ever. He had the sweetest baby face, and he was the happiest most energetic kid Levi had ever met. Although, Levi didn't know many kids. "How are you? Treating your grandparents well, right?"

"Always!" Oliver smiled brightly, his crooked teeth making an appearance. He would need braces later on in the future for sure. "I missed you Wevi! Can we hang out again?"

"Of course" He smiled, he carried Oliver with one arm as he walked over to Francine and Max, who were sitting on chairs in their garage reading the newspaper. "Hey guys" he greeted. "How's it been?"

Francine smiled up at her neighbor, her wrinkles stretching to accommodate her face. "Well hello there young man"

Max took a sip of his beer and looked up at Levi, "how's college treating ya, kid?"

"It's alright" Levi shrugged his shoulders, "not too bad, passed all my finals I'm sure"

"You were always a smart kid" Francine said with a smile still on her face. "How's that boyfriend of yours? Kenny told us his name is Eren"

Oliver looked at Levi, giving him a wide toothy grin. "You wove someone, Wevi?"

"I do" Levi looked down at Oliver, ruffling his hair and looking back down at the elder couple. "Yeah, we started dating about a month ago. I met him at MU and he's a math major, wanting to be a math teacher. He's a good guy, actually he's coming here for a week about two weeks from now, next week I'm going to Michigan to meet his parents and stuff since we won't get another chance until spring break or maybe summer. I'll make sure you two get to meet him, we'll stop by here"

Max smiled at that, "he treating you good, boy?"

"Very good" Levi said, he looked at Oliver. "have you gotten grandpa and grandma anything for christmas yet, buddy?"

The child shook his head and leaned forward, whispering in Levi's ear. "no money"

"I got a secret" Levi whispered back, "I have some spare money, want to come christmas shopping with me?"

"Yes!" Oliver squealed, he turned in Levi's hold and looked at his grandparents. "Can I go with Wevi? Pwease?!"

Max and Francine smiled at their grandson, nodding their heads. Francine spoke, "course honey, just bring him home when the sun sets, alright Levi?"

"Course" Levi smiled. They bid Francine and Max goodbye and they walked to Levi's car, the elder holding the toddler. He buckled Oliver in the front seat and shut the door, walking around the other side and getting in the drivers side. Levi started the car and took another look at Oliver, who was practically jumping in his seat, his curls bouncing up and down. Levi chuckled and put the car in drive, and they made their way to the shop. 

The two ended up going to the Long Beach mall, the north side mall of course. Levi didn't really touch the south side, not anymore. After going through over a dozen stores, the two boys eventually finished their Christmas shopping. Levi had bought Hange two expensive pairs of boots she had her eyes on, he bought Oliver a toy jeep he could ride in, he bought Francine the most recent released perfume on the line and he bought Max a new speaker to put in the garage since his was starting to go bad. Levi ended up buying Kenny a couple new hats and a laptop case since it didn't look like he had one, and he bought a gift card for Erwin and Armin to go on a couple date nights. And for Eren, Levi had a troubled time deciding what to get for him since Eren got him something that meant a lot to him, it was another form of protection. Eventually Levi had decided on buying him a black gucci jacket and belt, along with a really nice pair of boots. The money he used wasn't even his, it was Jeans, that he had stolen, but nobody needed to know that. 

The day Levi's birthday/Christmas rolled around, Levi had heard a vibrating noise come from the floorboard under his bed. One thing he learned from his mother was to always hide a spare phone, or something valuable under the floor boards. He had forgotten he left it on vibrate though, oops. He rolled over and groaned, checking the time, it was one in the morning. Levi sighed and leaned over the bed, using his nails to dig under the floor board and lift it up, reaching down and picking up his old phone. "The hell...?" he mumbled to himself when he saw the contact name, he answered the phone. "Hello?"

_"hey big bro! Happy nineteenth birthday!"_

"Isabel" A smile ghosted Levi's face, "Thank you, is Furlan with you?"

 _"Right here, Levi"_ Furlans voice came through the phone, _"We snuck out the window to be able to call you, you owe us"_

"Right, right" Levi chuckled, he laid on his back. "How are you two? It's been awhile"

 _"We're okay Levi, no need to worry. Kicking ass and taking names!"_ Isabel laughed on the other end. _"But how are you? We haven't talked to you since you left"_

"You kept the agreement right? They still think I'm topside?" Levi double checked.

_"They suspect nothing, Levi. I told you, we got you covered. Bel and I are almost out, we got a couple to go until we have enough money to get out of California to move to New York. We can do it, just a couple more months. Ar least seven more months, we should be out by July"_

"That's good guys, really. I'm proud of you. I miss the both of you" Levi said with a frown on his face. "I.. Do you need help? I can- I can do something to get you out of there, I want you out of there. I could come back-"

_"Stop it, big bro. We chose to stay. You don't have to come back, we would never ask that of you, okay? We know how messed you got... It took everything in you to leave, and we would never ask that of you."_

"Has he asked about me?" Levi cringed as he asked, but he had to know.

 _"Sometimes"_ Furlan spoke, _"he isnt with anyone else, always talks about how much money went down after you left. He's got more people with him now though, but other than that no. He still has the number to your old phone, not this one, since this one is for only us and Eld. He celebrates your birthday though, big dinner with the gang and everything."_

"Hm" Levi couldn't go into depth about what happened between him and Jean, but he figured Furlan knew. He knew his friend had an idea, he had to have an idea. It's not like Levi was good at hiding it. "I wish I could see you too but.. It might get you two killed"

_"I know. I miss you so much. We both miss you so much. Maybe once we're out, but just know we think of you,okay?"_

"Yeah" Levi sighed. 

_"We're gonna let you go, alright Levi? We'll call again later, in a couple months once we toss this phone out before the boss finds out we called your burner phone."_

"Please be careful" Levi said. "I hate that I left you two there.. without me there.. he.."

 _"He hasn't used us as a punching bag, I won't allow it"_ Furlan said, " _he won't ever, I can promise you that. Don't worry about us Levi, we can take care of ourselves, as can you. Live your life Levi, for us, okay?"_

"I will" Levi said, blinking back the moisture in his eyes. "You two take care of yourselves, alright? I love you guys"

_"Love you too big bro! Talk to you later! Bye"_

Levi smiled softly and he hung up the phone. He sighed, he missed them so much. Not a day goes by where he doesn't think about how stupid his decision was to leave and not take them with him. Levi rolled over on the bed and lifted up the floor board, setting his phone under it, making sure to put it on silence this time before putting the floor board back down. He then laid back on his side, shutting his eyes and falling back asleep to the sound of silence. 

-

The one day of the year Levi was allowed to sleep in was on Christmas, which was also his birthday. He slept in till early afternoon since he had a bit of trouble falling asleep this morning after the phone call with his old best friends. He eventually opened his eyes to see the bright California sun gleaming into his room because he doesn't close his curtains. Levi yawned and sat up, stretching his arms and rubbing his eyes, reaching over and grabbing his phone off the phone charger and checking it. He had a bunch of messages from Erwin, Hange, Armin, Mike, Connie, Eren, the whole gang basically. He went through all of them that wished him a happy birthday and a merry Christmas. After replying to all the text messages he ended up going to Eren's contact, facetiming him and setting the phone up on top of his dresser while he decided to change out of his pajamas. 

Luckily, Eren picked up after the first couple rings. His face popped up on the screen as Levi was putting on a pair of shorts, he chuckled. _"Well, hello to you too birthday boy"_

"Hey Eren, miss you" Levi greeted, looking over at his boyfriend. Eren was wearing a black sweater and his hair looked nice and washed. "You look nice today"

"Ah, mom makes us dress up every christmas even though it's only us family in the house" Eren rolled his eyes, _"How are you?"_

Levi shed his shirt and threw it in the hamper, "Good, I just woke up."

Erens eyes racked over Levi's exposed torso, _"God I miss you"_

The raven looked through his closet until he found a black long sleeved polo shirt, he put it on and pushed the sleeves up to his elbows. "I miss you too" he said, looking back at the camera. "Just think, a couple more days and I'm flying to Michigan to come see you"

 _"I know"_ Eren gave his boyfriend a wide smile, _"I cant wait, make sure to pack warm clothes."_

"I'll borrow some of yours, hope you don't mind" Levi winked.

Eren's face flushed, _"uh.. yeah, I don't mind"_

"Knew you wouldn't" Levi said, running a hand through his hair, feeling his undercut. "I got your presents by the way, I can't wait until you see them"

 _"Aw baby, you didn't have too"_ Eren smiled, _"you're too good to me"_

"No, you're too good to me" Levi smiled back, he grabbed a pair of sunglasses and set them on top of his head behind his ears. He put on some socks and a pair of shoes and he grabbed his phone, holding it up so Eren could still see his face while he walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where he saw Kenny. "It's kind of cold, like fifty degrees today I think"

Eren rolled his eyes, _"babe, shut up. It's literally almost below freezing here in Bay City"_

"Woah Eren, telling my nephew to shut up on his birthday?" Kenny said, looking over at Levi.

 _"Uhh... Hi Kenny"_ Levi watched as Eren rubbed his neck, _"how are you?"_

"Hey kid" Kenny said, he was grabbing stuff out of the fridge and setting it on the counter,preparing for a cook out. "So, how's your christmas?"

_"Pretty good. Still celebrating"_

"That's good" Kenny said.

Levi looked down at his phone, "hey, I'll text you later okay? I love you"

_"Love you too, talk to you later, bye"_

"Bye" Levi hung up the phone and put it in his short pocket and turned to his uncle, "are we having a cookout?" he asked, leaning against the counter and grabbing an apple that was on a plate, taking a bite out of it. 

Kenny turned and nodded his head, looking over at Levi. He was wearing a pair of tan shorts and a black shirt, matching Levi unintentionally, they're around each other so much that sometimes it just happens. He handed Levi a beer from the fridge, and his nephew gladly took it, taking the cap off with his teeth yet again and taking a drink. Kenny rolled his eyes and grabbed his phone, texting someone back. "We are having a cookout, may be a bit cold but we can eat in here. Actually, I do know of someone who's coming by here to help set up for the cookout."

"Who?" Levi asked, raising an eyebrow as he took another drink from his beer. "Oh no, don't tell me you invited more people over to celebrate my birthday"

"Oh" Kenny looked down at Levi, holding up his phone. "But I did"

The next thing Levi knew there was someone opening the front door and it slamming against the wall behind it, and the raven was startled enough to reach down at his belt to unhook the knife but Kenny stopped him, putting a hand on Levi's arm. "Hey, kid, calm down." He said sternly, "no stabbing people on your birthday"

Levi rolled his eyes, "whatever"

"I know you hate birthday hugs" Erwins voice rang through the home as he made his way into the kitchen. He was wearing black shorts and a dark blue v-neck, sunglasses on the top of his head behind his ear like Levi. He wore his white tennis shoes, and Levi raised an eyebrow. The blonde had become more muscled, buff, and toned since the last time he saw him. He was more tan too, and hopefully he was done growing. Erwin opened his arms for the smaller boy, "but bring it in Ackerman, give big ol' Erwin a birthday hug"

His attitude changed into one of happiness once he saw his friend, and that resulted to Levi breaking out into a smile and walking over to Erwin. He wrapped his arms around the taller man, laying his head on his broad chest and closing his eyes softly. Levi sighed softly as Erwins arms wrapped around him, resting his head on Levi's. The raven relaxed, he's always felt a sense of protection from his friend since the day that he met him. "Missed you Erwin"

Erwin smiled and rubbed Levi's back, "Missed you too Levi"

Kenny gave a small smile at the two, he knew they wouldn't work out as a couple. They didn't have that type of vibe that they would even last, and Levi realized that without Kennys help. Since then they've remained good friends, and it's been a good thing for the both of them since they broke up seven months ago. They were good friends to each other, the blonde being one of the few people his nephew actually trusted. Kenny took a swig of his beer, "Levi, Erwin is gonna help us set up. While I cook food on the grill and invite everyone over here, they'll be here in the next twenty to thirty minutes so hurry it up."

"Will do" Erwin said, watching Kenny take a bunch of food and walking out the back door. He let go of the raven and looked down at him, "let's start getting stuff together, how does that sound?"

"Fine" 

-

"Oi Oi! I would like to make a toast to my best friend so everyone shut up and listen! I wanna hurry before he opens his gifts!" Hange's voice boomed.

Everybody was sitting at the two large picnic tables pushed together by Levi and Kenny. There was a tent set up over the tables so they could avoid the slightly cold wind and there was star lights hanging around the top, illuminating everyone's faces. It was Levi, Kenny, Erwin, Hange, Oliver, Trevor (one of Oliver's cousins) Armin, Erwins parents and Hange's parents. Levi didn't like a lot of people, so this was perfect for him. A small little celebration, not a party. It was nice and peaceful. They all had one glass of wine except Oliver, who had some apple juice. Levi was sat in between Erwin and Hange, and he looked up at her annoyed when she suddenly shouted she wanted to make a toast.

"I know you hate me for being so cheesy Levi, so do me a favor and shush until I'm done talking" Hange ruffled the ravens hair and looked around at everyone, her parents letting out a little laugh at their daughters loudness. "Now, Levi and I have officially been best friends for a year! He was a little ass- I mean, he was rude when I met him, pardon my language. But he's looked after me since the day we became friends back in school,it was about two days after he transferred over there I think. But I um, I used to be bullied for being so good in class and being in all the clubs and doing my nerdy stuff. It may have seemed like I have a lot of friends, but none of them were actually my friend that I could count on. Before I could only count on Erwin, but then Levi showed up. I think he was passing class or something, but these two guys were making fun of me, saying some pretty bad things about my glasses and hair and other things. But I remember seeing this short guy with black hair rounding the hall and the next thing I knew those two guys were on the ground with bloody noses. Ever since that day we've been attached to the hip, and nobody else picked on me. To this day he keeps up with my crazy ideas and stuff, so thanks for being there for me Levi, it really means a lot"

The raven looked over at Hange when she finished, his eyes slightly rounded at her confession. Hange didn't really do heart to hearts with him, so it was weird seeing how much he meant to her, how much protecting her meant to Hange but so little to Levi because it came so natural to him. He almost said something, when Hange's parents spoke up.

"Thank you for looking our for our daughter, Levi" Her mother spoke, a smile on her face. "You're destined for great things hun, growing up in the south and graduating third of the northside class, you're really smart. When you publish a book, I want the first copy, you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am" Levi replied, a small blush coating his pale cheeks. 

"Wevi!" Oliver shouted from across the table, taking his lips off the straw of his apple juice. "I wove you! Tanks for the jeep and ice cream all the times!"

Levi chuckled, giving Oliver a pointed look. "You're welcome, my good sir."

Erwin was the next one to speak, causing everyone's attention to turn to the tall blonde. "I'll keep mine short and brief since our Levi does not like being put on the spot. But when I first met him, as Hange said, he was very very rude and had a bit of a bad mouth on him. Somehow though, we ended up becoming best friends. But as his best friend, I've see him change and improve. From hitting people at school to being the one stopping the fights, and from bad mouthing me for helping him he welcomes the help. Levi" he turned to the smaller man, who was already looking at him. "Thanks for having the strength to keep going. I'm unaware of what you went through for it to result to the Levi I met when you first arrived to the north side, but I'm glad you've changed yourself around for the better."

The blush hasn't left Levi's face, he played with his fingers nervously. "Thanks"

"You're welcome in our home at any time, Levi" Erwins dad smiled, "but you already knew that, you walk in whenever"

"That's very true" Erwins mom spoke.

Levi rubbed the back of his neck, "Thank you"

Kenny, who has had one too many beers, clung his spoon to the wine glass. Levi looked up to his uncle, "oh Kenny uh.. you don't- you don't have too-"

"Alrighty! Listen up y'all. I got some stuff to say" Levi was surprised that Kenny censored himself from cursing, but then again there was a five and six year old at the table. Once he realized he had everybodys eyes on him, he began to speak loud enough for everyone to hear. "Alright Levi, this is the first birthday party I've celebrated with you since you turned fourteen. It's nice you have friends and people you can count on now, because I know for a good couple years you had it rough." he gave his nephew a pointed look, "As you all know, Levi's mom passed away and that's how he got in my custody. When he was seven years old he showed up at my doorstep with the CPS worker, I was his only other family member so I took him in of course. Since then, we've been inseparable. He wasn't a very sociable kid, as all of you know." Everyone let out a laugh. "But.. for three years, Levi was in a bad place. I remember I had no idea what to do to help him, I tried everything, even praying to God to let me talk to Kutchel one last time. I even looked online and read parenting books, which were god awful. But.. after three years of just being there for him, he demanded to switch to a new school up north. That's where he met you two" he pointed to Hange and Erwin, "You two showed him the way, showed him the happiness that he deserves and I don't think I can ever thank you enough for pushing him to strive to be the best person he could be. Now, he has a boyfriend whom I have heard treats him good, and a bunch of new friends I've heard about, and he's doing amazing in school. He got a full ride" Kenny chuckled, "he's the first Ackerman to do that"

"Kenny-" Levi was interrupted by Kenny again.

"Levi" Kenny turned his full attention on his nephew. "Listen to me you little runt, because it's not often I get to say this stuff to you. But.. you've helped me heal in more ways than one. Kutchel and you are one in the same, except you have something different. You.. you have this strength within you son, a willingness to protect. I've seen you rise from a child, to a teen, to a man. I know what you went through was hard, I really do. I wish I can go back and make sure things never turned out that way, but it looks like I don't need too. Because you were strong enough to get yourself out of it. You're a very strong man Levi, stronger than me, stronger than anybody that I know and anyone here at this party can vouch for that. I'm so glad that I can look after you, to call you my nephew, to see you grow this much. Thank you for allowing me to grow with you, for showing me how to get out a slum when nobody else believes in you. You're a miracle for getting out on your own, Levi. You're so strong, and I would give anything to see you keep thriving in this world." He held his wine glass up, "happy nineteenth birthday runt, to Levi!"

Everybody sipped their wine and Levi scooted out of his chair, making his way around the table and over to Kenny quickly. His uncle stood up, understanding immediately what his nephew needed and wrapped his arms around the raven. Levi hugged him tight, burying his face in Kennys shoulder and gripping his coat. When he heard a sniffle, Kenny shushed him and looked at everyone at the table, noticing how they all got quiet and were watching the two. Kenny smiled softly, rubbing Levi's back. "We all love you, Levi" he said lowly. 

The raven let out a small sob that everyone heard, but he didn't care at this point. He just kept his head buried in Kenny's shoulder, letting the tears flow down his face. He was so overwhelmed by the amount of praise he got from his family, it was rare to even get something close to a compliment from most of them. Kenny smiled softly, "you're alright kid, you're fine"

All of his friends were watching the two with smiles on their faces, a wave of content flooding through the table. It was almost peaceful, watching Levi finally taking in all the compliments and realizing that he indeed was not a bad person, that he had grown. It was silent, the only sound being heard was the soft overwhelmed cries of their mutual friend. And for some reason.. nobody minded. They were happy, so was Levi. That's all he could ever ask for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, thank you everyone who's read this book. it means a lot.  
> please leave kudos <3, it really makes my day. :)


	14. Leaving Long Beach In The Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> levi arrives in michigan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was all supposed to be one chapter but i dont like making my chapters super long so i divided it into another one

_**A week later** _

"That's the last bag" Levi said as he grabbed it from the trunk of Kennys truck. He held onto his two suit cases and shrugged his bag over his shoulders, looking up at his uncle. They were at the Long Beach airport, and Levi's plane left in about twenty minutes. "I'll see you in a week when Eren and I come back" 

Kenny nodded his head, "yeah" he took a step forward, ruffling his nephews hair. "text me when you make it home, okay?"

Levi nodded, "course. See ya Kenny"

"Bye kid" Kenny watched as Levi took hold of his things and made his way to the air port, taking one look at his uncle before walking through the doors where Kenny couldn't see him anymore. 

_Kid is really growing up,_ Kenny thought to himself as he got back into his truck, driving home.

-

Eren rushed around his house, making sure everything was clean and put away before his boyfriend arrived. It bothered his parents and Mikasa to no end, but he didn't really care. He knew Levi had a mild case of OCD, and he wanted his boyfriend to be as comfortable as possible when he came over. He knew Levi didn't like a lot of people, he hated meeting new people too, so he made sure to tell his parents to kick back with all the questions he knew that they would ask. He had gotten off the phone with Levi a little bit ago, their conversation lasting for a good two hours and all they talked about was how nervous Levi was meeting Erens parents. Cleaning his home took forever, it was a two story house but the living room and dining room and kitchen were huge, he was trying his best to get all the dust out. He even went as far as brushing his two dogs Riley and Dirk, both german shepards. 

His parents, Carla and Grisha were both watching their son in amusement as he cleaned the entire house on his own. They haven't seen him like this before, and it was quite entertaining. Eren has told them about Levi numerous times, all good things. They liked everything they've heard about the man who seemed to have stolen their sons heart. 

_"So Levi comes tomorrow and I kinda, um, could you guys not ask him a bunch of personal questions and stuff?" Eren had asked as they all ate at the dinner table._

_Carla looked up from her glass of wine, "what do you mean?"_

_Eren shrugged, "He's not very talkative, like the literal opposite of me. It's not like he's shy, he just had a rough upbringing and would rather not talk about his life at home or anything, he'll warm up to you guys but at first he's gonna be nervous and stuff"_

_"Of course he will be nervous" Grisha spoke up, "it's not every day you meet your boyfriends parents for the first time, but we understand your point. No questions about his home life, anything else you would like us to avoid?"_

_The brunette thought for a moment before shaking his head, "no, not really. That's it. Oh, don't try to shake his hand or hug him, he's got OCD and he's not always comfortable with physical touch because of everything he's been through."_

_Grisha looked over at Mikasa, "do you like him, Mikasa?"_

_Eren gave his adopted sister a look, basically warning her not to bring up the knife incident from months ago. He didn't think she would, but he had to make sure. Mikasa looked over at her father, shrugging her shoulders. "Yeah, I like him. He's a good fit for Eren, they spend a lot of time together and he got Eren to pass his english class. He's smart, so yeah, I like him"_

_A look of relief washed over Erens face as Carla spoke, "that's great dear, I can't wait to meet this Levi."_

That was last night, Mikasa was currently out with Annie on a date or something, Eren didn't know, he wasn't paying attention when she told him she was going out. He was too busy doing other things to listen to her. It was now mid day, she still wasn't home and his parents were in the decorated sun room sipping some wine and enjoying the day, talking about the day they can uncover their in-ground pool they had installed about four years ago. Eren sighed as he finally finished cleaning the kitchen and he heard his phone ringing, he went into the living room, grabbing it from the charger and answering the phone. "Hello?"

_"Hey Eren, I just landed and I'm in the Bay City airport right now and it's fucking cold here. Hurry and pick me up before my dick freezes off"_

He laughed, "well hello to you too Vi, yes I'll be there in fifteen minutes. I gotta get my keys. I'll text you when I'm there, okay?"

_"Alright bye"_

Eren hung up the phone and said goodbye to his parents before leaving the house. He started his car and let it warm up for a couple minutes ad eventually driving off to the airport, watching out for the occasional icy layer on the road. He had his phone connected to the radio, playing one of his random playlists on his spoitfy premium. About ten minutes later he pulled up to the airport and parked his car, shutting it off and walking inside the Bay City airport. When he walked in he immediately looked around for Levi, trying his best to look over everyone to find a short guy with black hair. _If he would grow maybe I could see him,_ Eren thought to himself. 

He looked around for a couple more seconds before he heard a call of, "Oi, Yeager! I'm over here!" and he automatically recognized the voice to be his boyfriend. Eren smiled and turned around to see Lwvi standing a couple meters away from him hauling his bags, a white hat on his head and he wore a matching black sweats. Eren walked up to said boy, leaning down and wrapping his arms around the raven, smiling wider when Levi leaned into his touch. "Missed you" Eren whispered in his ear.

The raven smiled into Erens hold, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I missed you too" he whispered back. "Help me with my bags?"

"Of course" Eren replied as he pulled away from the hug, he took Levi's suitcases, leaving the raven with the big packing bag to carry. He lead them out of the airport and into the parking lot, trying not to slip on any ice or slush. Levi clung onto Eren as he walked, not prepared for the ice on the ground. He's never seen ice on the ground, he did grow up with constant warm weather, not cold. They made it to Erens car and he popped the trunk, loading Levi's stuff into it and ordering the raven to get inside the car and get warm. The smaller man protested, saying he could help but ultimately got cold and got into the car. 

Eren shut the trunk once he finished and he got into the drivers side, shutting the door and starting the car, turning the heat on full blast as both boys were shivering. He turned to Levi while his car was warming up, "How was your flight?" he asked. 

Levi shrugged his shoulders, keeping his hands placed in between both of his thighs to warm them back up. He looked over at Eren, "It was okay, I slept most of the way and for the other half I just re-watched Criminal Minds"

"Which season?" Eren asked as he put his car in drive, pulling out of the parking lot. 

"Seven, I like Spencers hair in that one" Levi commented, turning the heating vents to him so he could get warm faster. 

"Agreed" Eren smiled as he turned the radio up. "How was your birthday?"

Levi smiled, "it was fun, we had a cookout and then everybody gave these really heart felt speeches about how much I meant to them and shit, it was really weird, I kind of wanted to leave"

Eren rolled his eyes, "you're the only person I know of that would want to leave his own birthday party"

The raven shoved at Eren's arm a bit, "oh shut up, it was embarrassing."

"Learn how to take a compliment Vi,geez, have you learned nothing from our relationship?"

Levi crossed his arms over his chest, "shut up and drive" he mumbled.

Eren chuckled, "alright, whatever you say"

They pulled into Erens driveway close to ten minutes later and he parked the car, shutting it off. Both boys got out, Eren going to the trunk and Levi looking around at the front of his boyfriends house. Their front yard was huge, and Levi imagined the grass would be a bright green if there wasn't a layer of snow on top of it. They had a white picket fence, matching the white paint of the house. It was easily a two story house, but it was so much bigger from his and Kenny's house over in Long Beach. He looked away and walked around the car to the trunk, seeing as Eren grabbed his suit cases, he grabbed the packing bag, shutting the trunk. He held onto Erens arm as they walked up the icy driveway and to the front porch, he watched as Eren typed in the security code to his home and he opened the front door. He walked inside with Levi following, his eyes widening as he looked at the house. 

The inside looked bigger than the outside of the house. The moment you stepped in you were met with a white and brown interior. There was a staircase to your left, leading to the higher level of the house and to your right was a wall where shoes were kept, a large painting right above the shelf that was obviously for keys. If you walked a little father you were met with a living room with a grey and blue aesthetic, and there was decorative plants in the empty parts of the house. 

Eren looked down at Levi and gave him a small smile, "come on, I'll give you a tour as soon as we unpack your stuff. I have spare room in my closet for you to hang up your clothes and you can organize it the way you want, I tried to clean the house as best as I could because of your OCD."

"Uh.. thanks" Levi said as he followed Eren up the stairs. "your house is big"

"My dad is a surgeon and my mom is a dentist" Eren spoke as he lead Levi to his room, "and she writes on the side"

"Writes? Like books?" Levi asked, watching Eren open the bedroom door. He followed him inside his room, looking around the the grey/blue walls. His bed looked king sized, with white sheets and matching white comforter. Just like the rest of the house, it had its own aesthetic of grey/blue and white furniture. He had pictures of what looked like him and his friends and family on his dresser, and he had lights going around his room and shelves full of math books that made Levi want to puke. 

Eren nodded his head and set Levi's suitcases down on the floor, taking the packing bag off of Levi's shoulders and setting that down on the floor. "Yes" he said, "she's never published any works, she just writes on her laptop. She has a degree in writers comp"

Levi looked up at him, "really? you never told me that"

"Slipped my mind I guess" Eren gave him a sly smile, cupping the sideof Levi's face and tracing down his jaw. "I was too busy admiring everything that Maria University had to offer."

The raven fluttered his eyes shut as he felt Erens soft fingertips traced his cheek, down to his jaw, and to the side of his neck. He felt Eren step closer to him so that their chests were almost touching, he could practically feel the warmth radiating off of the other man. He opened his eyes, looking up at Eren through his long black eyelashes. "Oh?" He tilted his head up and to the side, "and what did Maria University have to offer you?"

Eren leaned down and pressed a kiss to Levi's forehead, letting his lips linger. "oh, this really great guy I know. He's short, has this wonderful silky black hair that I love pulling on" he reached his hand over Levi's undercut and into his longer hair, gripping it and tugging on it, causing Levi to tilt his head upwards and expose his neck. "He's got these eyes that make me do whatever he wants me too, basically makes me weak at the knees." he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Levi's lips. "And these amazing lips that wrap around my cock and suck me dry, I swear I see stars" he continued to whisper, and Levi groaned as he felt Eren's grip in his hair tightened, his cock already hard in his pants.

"Eren" he sighed softly when he felt the younger mans soft lips press against his pale neck. "please"

"Please what baby?" Erens other hand went to Levi's waist, tracing his v-line and the top line of his boxers. "I can see you pitching a tent love, would you like some help with that?"

Levi's hands reached up and gripped Erens jacket with his slim fingers. "yes please"

"Hm" Eren hummed as he pressed soft kisses up Levi's neck until he reached his lovers lips. "I'd love to help you with your problem" he said, pressing a kiss against Levi's lips.

The raven whimpered into the kiss as he felt Eren's hand tightened in his hair, the pain shooting right to his cock which was straining against the sweat pants. He wrapped his arms around Erens neck, breathing slowly into the kiss, his eyes staying shut. "Please"

Eren smiled against Levi's lips, he let go of the ravens hair and leaned down further, gripping his thighs. Levi got the message and jumped, trusting Eren to catch him, holding him by his thighs and carrying him to the bed. Levi moved and buried his face in Erens neck, pressing soft kisses at the junction. His clothed length was pressing up against his boyfriends stomach, and he let out small moans against Eren's tan neck. The taller boy smirked as he listened to Levi, leaning down and laying Levi on his king sized bed. 

The raven looked up at Eren with hooded eyes as the taller boy crawled on top of him, "I like it better when I'm on top" he said lowly. 

"Oh?" Eren traced a finger down Levi's chest, to his navel, and soon inside Levi's sweatpants, cupping his clothed erection. "Well too bad baby, let me give you a sort of late birthday present"

"A birthday blowjob?" Levi raised an eyebrow, raising his hips to cause some friction. "Yes please"

Eren smiled and leaned down, pressing his lips against Levi's as his other hand worked Levi's sweatpants off. He didn't bat an eye as he did, tossing them to the side. He kissed down Levi's jaw, earning him some low and quiet moans from the raven. One of his hands held him up as the other reached up, tracing Levi's sharp jawline before wrapping around the olders neck. "Trust me, lover?" he asked softly. 

This was a first between the two, Levi had never done this with anyone he's ever hooked up with. It scared him a little bit, but it was something Eren wanted to try out and he would happily agree to it. He nodded after a couple seconds, letting out a breath of air. "yes"

Once he got confirmation, Eren's hand tightened around Levi's neck, not hard but hard enough to cut off air circulation. He watched Levi's face out of the corner of his eye, observing as the raven wrapped a hand around his arm but had no intention of pulling away, just resting them there. He knew how Levi felt about being vulnerable, but he was happy that Levi trusted him enough to try something new. He watched his lover carefully as he slid his hands into Levi's boxers, grasping at his cock. 

He heard Levi groan and he watched as Levi's eyes fluttered shut once he started pumping. When he noticed Levi's face turning a dark red he let up, watching as the raven gasped for air and let out a whimper of pleasure when Eren began twisting his hand around Levi's cock, giving him a hand job. He leaned up and pressed a kiss against Levi's lips, "like that?"

The raven was still breathing heavy as he looked up at Eren, eyes rolling back in pleasure when Eren's strokes began to pick up in pace. "uh hu" he groaned, spreading his legs wider for his boyfriend. "Eren please" 

His large hand was still resting on the ravens neck, and it was driving Levi crazy. Normally Levi didn't like dominance coming from other males in bed, but with Eren it was different. He could trust Eren. The brunette hummed softly, pecking Levi's lips once more before complying. "Alright alright." he whispered softly, he pressed one more kiss to Levi's lips before moving down, using one hand to take off Levi's boxers and throw them to the floor, the ravens cock springing to life causing him to moan loudly as the cold air hit. 

"Eren" he pleaded, his hands reaching up to grab the pillow he laid his head on. "Eren"

"Shh, gonna take care of you" Eren whispered softly, "just relax and enjoy"

Levi's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he felt Erens lip wrap around him, "oh fuck" he groaned and gripped the pillow tighter. His eyes fluttered shut as Eren began bobbing his head up and down. It wasn't often that Eren offered to give him head, he's only done it maybe once or twice. Normally it was Levi who would drag him to bed and suck him dry. So to say Levi was surprised at the sudden turn of events was an understatement. He looked down at Eren for a quick second and moaned at the site of the taller boys' lips wrapped around him as he continued to bob his head. 

"Oh shit, fuck, shit" Levi moaned out loud, "Eren, fuck" he bucked his hips up. Levi had always been vocal in bed, that was not a secret to the both of them. It was a good thing Erens parents were in the sun room because then they would have a lot of explaining to do. Levi whimpered and moved his head side to side, gripping the pillow tighter. "ahh.. shit, fuck please Eren, god"

Eren only picked up the speed, sensing that Levi was getting close to his climax. He grabbed Levi's hips to hold him down because unlike Levi, Eren did have a gag reflex and that;s why he didn't give head very often. He looked up at Levi through his lashes and listened to the ravens mantra of "fuck, shit, fuck, oh god, Eren please, fuck keep going". He would smirk if his mouth wasn't occupied by Levi's larger than average cock. 

"Oh God, Eren, I'm close. Fuck" Levi whimpered out and tried to move but was stuck in place by Erens large hands holding him down. He whimpered as he felt that pit in his stomach. "Oh god, oh god, oh god... fuck!" Levi shouted as he threw his head back and screwing his eyes shut. He gripped the pillow as tight as he could, digging his nails into the white pillow case. He shot his load into Erens mouth, who swallowed automatically and milked him through his orgasm.

The raven had begun to whimper when he became sensitive down there and Eren popped off, wiping his mouth and crawling back up to his boyfriend. He observed his face, how peaceful he looked post bliss and Eren realized he really needed to see this Levi more often. He pressed a quick kiss to Levi's neck, "I love you, hun"

"Mm, love you too hot stuff" Levi sighed in content, peeking up at Eren, "Sleep?"

"Course" Eren smiled and pressed a kiss to Levi's forehead and stood up off the bed, grabbing Levi's pants and boxers. He sat back down on the bed and instructed Levi to lift his hips, and Levi listened, still in a bliss. Once his boyfriend was dressed, Eren put the covers over him and kissed his head. "Get some sleep, I'll come wave you for dinner alright?"

Levi looked up at him and nodded, "okay, love you"

"Oh, second I love you of the day?" Eren laughed.

"Post-orgasm bliss" Levi said with a sly smile, "it does somethin to me"

Eren just smiled, he stood up from the bed and walked to his door. He turned to look at Levi, "I love you too, get some sleep Vi" he said and he opened the door, shutting the lights off and walking out, shutting the door behind him and walking down the stairs. He looked around the kitchen and living room, not seeing his parents anywhere and he walked to the sun room, knocking on the door until he heard a shout of "come in!" he opened the door, walking inside to see his parents watching the large tv sharing some wine. 

Carla looked up at her son, "Is Levi here yet?" she asked,offering him a glass of wine.

Eren walked up to them and sat down, grabbing the glass from his mom. "Yes, he's upstairs in my room sleeping. The flight wore him out, especially with the time difference between here and California"

Grisha looked up from scrolling through his phone, "Both Carla and I go back to work two days from now, we intend on spending a lot of time with the two of you."

"I want to know the boy who stole your heart" Carla smiled.

"You already said that Mom" Eren rolled his eyes and sipped his wine. "He's nervous to meet you guys but.. I think you'll like him, I really do"

"Good, it's not every day I pay for someones flight to come see us" Grisha said, giving Eren a smile. "Send Mikasa a text and see if she will come home for dinner, Carla will start on it in about an hour after I go buy some groceries. Would you help her cook dinner tonight?"

"Course" Eren smiled and he stood up, kissing his mothers cheek. "I'll go call Mikasa"

-

"Dinner is ready, go ahead and wave Levi up" Carla spoke to her son as she began preparing everyones plate, "tell Mikasa to come down too"

Eren looked over at his mom as he finished getting everyones drinks, "course, ma" he said and passed his father who entered the kitchen, walking up the stairs to his bedroom. Eren knocked on Mikasas door and told her dinner was ready, then made his way to his room. He didn't bother knocking as the raven was probably still asleep, it's only been a little over an hour since he fell asleep. He opened his door and smiled softly at the sight of his boyfriend cuddled in the sheets, comforter tucked around his body and his face nuzzled in his own hand that rested upon the pillow. Eren took the chance and grabbed his phone from his pocket, holding it up and taking a quick picture of Levi. He double checked it to make sure it turned out okay and smiled when it did, shoving his phone back in his pocket. He walked over to Levi and sat down on the bed next to him, reaching his hand out to card his fingers through the ravens hair. "Hey sleepy head, dinner is ready, my parents are ready to meet you"  
  
"mm" Levi hummed softly as his eyes fluttered open, slowly looking up at Eren. "hi"

"Hey" Eren smiled and leaned down, pressing a kiss to his boyfriends forehead. "sleep good?"

Levi nodded and rubbed his eyes, sitting up and straightening out his sweatshirt he wore. He looked at Eren, who decided to stand up. "Uh.. should I change into something that isn't sweats?"

"Nah" Eren shook his head, his bangs falling in his face. He needed another hair cut pretty soon. "We're all wearing something like that, my mom is even in sweats so it's fine. You ready?"

"Yeah" Levi stood up and stretched his arms, grabbing Erens extended hand and following him out of the room and down the stairs. The closer they got the more Levi could feel his nerves building up. This was the first time he's met someones parents, Erwins didn't count since he met them passing by and Jean didn't have parents that he knew of. He was meeting his boyfriends parents, he gripped Erens hand tighter as they walked, causing Eren to look over at him in concern as they made their way to the kitchen. "I'm fine" Levi said, pressing a comforting hand to Erens arm and looked forward again. 

The brunette knew Levi was nervous, and he also knew that he wouldn't say anything unless he wanted too so all Eren did was nod his head. He lead them into the kitchen, where Carla and Grisha were standing talking to each other. He gave Levi a second to look everything over before finally speaking up, "hey"

His parents both looked over at the same time, their faces breaking out into a smile when they saw the two boys. They noticed Levi was about a foot smaller than Eren, their boy being a good six foot two, and how tired and nervous he looked. Levi looked them over too, they look exactly like the pictures Eren showed him. Eren looked like a carbon copy of his mom mixed with some features of his father. It was a couple moments of silence before Carla spoke first, "Hi Levi, it's nice to meet you. My name is Carla, Erens mom and this is my husband Grisha, Erens father"

Levi was thankful they didn't try to shake his hand of hug him, Eren must've told them about his inner turmoil. He gave them a small smile, waving his hand that was not being held by Erens. "Nice to meet you too."

"I say we eat, did you call Mikasa down?" Grisha asked, signaling everybody to sit down while he set the table. 

Eren nodded his head, "yeah. she'll be down in a minute, I think she's working on something"

They all sat down and began eating, eventually Mikasa came back downstairs and joined them. Carla and Eren ended up making some sort of cheddar soup with chicken, and bread sticks from scratch and there was a small bowl set aside for some ice cream Grisha wanted to pick up. For drinks they had their own small glass of wine with water on the side. Levi looked around while he ate, gathering in his surroundings. The kitchen was huge, light grey and marble counter tops. The ground was a beautiful white tile, matching the white glass table they are on. The chairs were of white cushions held up by golden legs. The house had a very rich vibe to it, and Levi was afraid one wrong move he would be kicked out or something. After all, he was an ex thug in a rich persons home, it felt weird to him. Seeing where Eren grew up was interesting though, to say the least.

While they ate, they made small talk. Mikasa had asked about Eren and Levi's final grades and turns out that all of them passed their finals with flying colors, not that they thought they would fail them anyway. All three of them were academically successful and had bright futures ahead of them. After awhile Levi had begun to speak more, talking to Mikasa about her career choice and finding it really interesting, he brought up Erwin and how he wanted to be a cop, the two of them were holding a great conversation and it made Eren relax more. 

After a little while Carla looked over to her son and new boyfriend, a small smile covering her face when she saw how close they sat and how Eren's arm was draped around the back of Levi's chair. They looked so relaxed around each other, and happy. Levi looked like he didn't smile much, but the loving soft glances he sent to Eren when he wasn't looking made her heart melt. "So Levi, what do you want to be when you finish college?" she asked. 

The raven turned to look at Carla, "I want to be an author" he said, grabbing the glass of wine an taking a sip. "Maybe end up on New York Times Best Sellers, or something like that. I'm minoring in psych, so I'll have that as a back up."

"An author, huh?" Her eyes lit up, "that's a hard field to be in, I got my degree in writers comp just like you and it was hard for me to start. I ended up becoming a dentist and loving it just a little more than writing. I write in my spare time though, never published anything before though. What kind of book would you like to write?"

Levi shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know yet, I have a lot of ideas on my laptop but I know I want it to be educational some how. I've been drawing and coming up with characters and stuff sometimes, middle of the night I'll write down a couple ideas. I'm honestly not really sure about it, but as time goes by I'll have more ideas."

Grisha looked up at that, curious. "You know son, depending on how dedicated you are to this, you can make a lot of money doing that. Do you have any sample writings?"

Eren wanted to give his father a look for asking about something so private, but was surprised when Levi's eyes rounded in shock a bit as he looked at his father. "You want to see them?"

His mother nodded her head with a polite smile, "I am a writer on the side after all, I may have never published anything official but if you ever want me to proof read something while you're here I would love too"

The raven actually smiled at that, no one has ever wanted to read what he wrote on his laptop. "I would like that very much, thank you Mrs. Yeager"

"Call me Carla, hun" she smiled and nodded towards her husband. "And call him Grisha, you're family here"

"Okay" Levi didn't know what to say to that, okay was all he could muster out. _If they ever find out what I've done, they would not consider me family._ He thought to himself as everybody went on about their casual small talk. Levi then focused on his food, listening to the family bicker and joined in on the laughs the family shared. It was nice, they included him on all the conversation and Carla even offered him some more wine that she didn't even offer Mikasa, who usually asks for more. 

Eren was happy as he sat back and laughed with his family, having Levi by his side joining in on making jokes. The last guy he was with would not even come over for family dinners or events, which upset him most times. It was one of the reasons the two of them broke up was because Eren felt like the love was one sided. It turns out that it was, that nothing would've helped to make the two last. He looked down at Levi, a soft look coming over his face. With him, it was different. He actually came all the way to Michigan to meet his parents, that's more than any guy would have done for Eren in the past. 

Dinner was over soon and they all finished their small bowl of ice cream. Grisha and Mikasa volunteered to load the dish washer, Eren helping cleaning the kitchen while Levi and Carla kept on talking about this and that. Both of them got along well, her gentle vibe calmed Levi's nerves. They were the opposite person, she was so much like Eren and now Levi knows where he got it from. While everyone was in the kitchen, Carla stood up and looked down at Levi. "Would you like to see my writing office?"

Levi looked over at Eren who was busy cleaning the kitchen, he looked back at Carla and nodded. "yeah, sure" he said and stood up, following her out of the kitchen, through the living room and up the stairs. They passed Mikasa and Erens room and a couple doors down was a door thata was painted a light blue with Carlas name written in gold cursive on a tag. She opened the door and walked in, Levi following suit. 

Contrary to the rest of the house, the inside of the writing office was a dark golden yellow color. There were orange lights hanging down from the ceiling that set right above a dark brown desk. The desk was huge, it had it's own pockets for Carlas things. On the desk was a laptop and other books, along with utensils and a pair of glasses. There were speakers hooked up in the top corner of the room, and Levi saw how they blended in with the wall. On the other wall was a clear glass door, with a view of the back yard. There was a balcony that had some chairs and a small table. On the other wall was a bookshelf about eight feet tall, and covering the walls were a bunch of nature paintings. Levi's mouth opened in an 'o' shape as he looked around, "wow" 

Carla looked at him and smiled, "we finished it up a couple years ago and I come here to relax sometimes. Eren comes in here when he's had a bad day and sits on the padio, it's a pretty calming spot."

"I can see" Levi commented, he looked at the book shelf and traced the books spined with his slim fingers. "You have good taste" 

"Expensive taste, more like" Carla said with a small smile, looking at all the books she owned. "Most of those I read in college and bought them, others I ordered online in bunches and read them when I was on my breaks at work. Eren tells me you're quite the reader" 

"I am" Levi said, looking over the books. He's read some of them, "You have quite a lot of trauma novels in here, we're these for Eren?"

Carla shrugged, "some for Eren and some for me,my upbringing was not the best to say the least."

"I'm sorry" Levi looked over to her, "neither was mine, everything is okay now though for you right?"

She gave him a kind smile, "yes, everything is okay. How about you hun? Eren told me not to ask, but everything is okay for you now, correct?"

Levi nodded his head, "yes, everything is taken care of" he said, "Once I'm done with school I want to move to New York to write a book, or somewhere on the east coast. I'm kind of over being on the west"

"Eren has always wanted to go to California, I'm glad he's going with you. He's excited, he really likes you"

The raven looked over at his boyfriends mom, "you think so?"

She smiled, "of course, it's not every day he brings someone home. I hope you come around more often Levi" she covered her mouth as she yawned, "you can stay in here as long as you want, I'm going to my room to go to sleep, I've had a long day. It was nice meeting you Levi"

"Nice meeting you too Carla" Levi said and gave her a small wave as she walked out of her writing room. Once she left, Levi looked around once more before grabbing one of the books from the shelf, making sure to remember the place he got it from. Turning through a couple places, Levi realized it may be a good read until Eren finished cleaning the kitchen. He sat down int he chair at the desk and opened the book to the first page, and began reading. 

-

"I like him" Grisha said to Eren as they washed dishes together.

"You do?" Eren looked up at his father, normally Grisha didn't really like anyone. He reminded him of Levi, he wasn't very social and he liked to be alone and in his home. He put another dish on the rack and dried another plate that was previously washed. 

Grisha nodded his head and handed Eren another plate, "I do. I've heard all good things about him, and he made quite the impression by keeping up with your mothers wine-filled talk"

Eren chuckled, "They did get along, I think she mentioned showing him her writing room or something so they're upstairs."

Handing Eren another plate to dry, Grisha spoke. "You seem happy with him Eren, and as long as your happy thats the most thta Carla and I could ask for. So if he makes you happy, you keep that boy around. Especially if he helped you pass that english class you were so worried about."

"Yeah" Eren chuckled as he dried the last dish, setting the towel down on the counter. "I will, he's.. he's good for me, dad"

"Good" Grisha said, he looked Eren in the eyes. They were about the same height, Eren being about an inch shorter. "but if he ends up being an asshole like your last boyfriend I won't hesitate to hurt him. I'm a doctor, I can make it look like an accident"

Eren rolled his eyes and shoved his fathers shoulder, "oh shut up, he's a good guy dad" he shook his head, "I'm gonna go upstairs and check on them, you got the rest"

"yeah" Grisha turned and grabbed the towel from the counter and continued to dry. 

The brunette smiled and walked up the stairs, passing all the bedrooms until he got to his moms office. He didn't hear any talking so he almost didn't go in until he heard a quiet _bang_ and a curse of "oh fuck me" and he laughed to himself, that was obviously Levi. Eren turned the knob and opened the door, raising an eyebrow as he saw Levi on his tip toes, reaching for something on the second to top shelf. "Everything okay in here?"

Levi looked over at Eren and frowned, he got off his tippy toes and leaned down, grabbing the book that fell and handing it to Eren, pointing to the spot it was supposed to go in. "Put it away"

He rolled his eyes in response but took the book nonetheless, easily reaching up and putting it away where it belonged. "Sometimes I forget how small you are when you have such a big attitude"

"I do not have an attitude, you're just a softie" Levi said and he crossed his arms over his chest. "I need a shower, show me where the bathroom is"

Eren hummed, throwing his arm over Levi's shoulders and led his boyfriend down the hall. "Wow, what happened to showing me some respect around here, I did suck you off when you get here and this is what I get?"

Levi chuckled as they went to Erens bedroom, Levi walking to his bag and grabbing his pajamas and other toiletries. "Just tired I guess" he said, standing back up and zipping his suit case, he turned around and walked back to Eren. "To the bathroom, my good sir"

"Your wish is my command" Eren laughed and pressed a kiss to Levi's forehead as they walked down the hall. "Mikasa and I have our own separate bathrooms so you can set your stuff up in there and leave it until we go to California next week" he spoke as he opened the bathroom door. 

"Okay" Levi walked in and set his stuff down on the counter, Erens bathroom was big as he expected. The white marble matched the kitchen counter tops and there was a clear glass door around the shower. The mirror was surrounded in a gold frame and dont even mention how clean the toilet looked. Everything was clean, the air felt almost too nice in this house. He turned around and looked at Eren, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his lovers lips. "I'm gonna shower and come to bed, okay? Let's watch Criminal Minds"

Eren smiled and kissed Levi back, pulling away. "Course, I'll set it up"

At the conformation Levi shut the door in his boyfriends face, turning on the fan and going on his phone to set his playlist. He saw there was a holder for his phone on the wall and wanted to laugh, Eren really was something else. He set his phone on the holder and pressed play on spotify, removing his clothes and setting them down on the toilet. He reached down and turned the knobs on the shower until the water got warmer, until it steamed up the bathroom from how hot it was. He stepped in, sighing in content as the burning hot water hit his skin.

As he washed himself he finally fully let himself relax, letting his nerves wash away along with the sweat and grime. He closed his eyes, rubbing the shampoo in his hair and letting the suds trail down his slim body. He couldn't help but let his mind wander, this is what a normal family looked like. One with a mom and a dad and a sister, even though Mikasa was adopted. Levi never knew his father, all he knew was that his father was one of his moms clients that never showed his face again. His mom told him that his father was involved with some bad business and that's why he never came back. 

Living Kenny was nice and all, and he was thankful Kenny took him in instead of letting him go through foster home to foster home. But.. living with an uncle instead of a mom and dad was not the same. Levi almost had a little sister, but his mom had a miscarriage, Levi was only six years old at the time. He remembers picking out names for her, as his mom was four months along. They had decided on Petra, deciding it was a cute name that Levi picked out. Her name was going to be Petra Ackerman. 

However, his mom ended up not carrying to term because the asshole she was dating. His mom never told him what happened, but he knew it was because of that asshole. Just the thought of it made the raven angry and as he rinsed his hair. His mom deserved so much better, _he_ deserved so much better. After all Levi's been through, he deserved better. 

Just looking at Erens family made him realize how much he was actually missing. Sure, he had his make-shift family at home made from a few stragglers in town and his uncle but it wasn't the same. He wanted a mom, he wanted a father and he wanted his sister, but no. Two of them were dead, the other was out in the wind. It's been nineteen years, the guy could be dead by now, not that Levi would ever care to meet him now anyway. He wanted what Eren had, he was jealous of Eren even though he would never admit it. 

Levi finished washing himself and his hair and shut the water off, grabbing the towel and drying off his body. He stepped out of the shower and put on his pajamas, drying his hair with the towel afterwards. He tossed the towel in the hamper in the corner and grabbed his tooth brush, putting toothpaste on it and began brushing, his mind still drifting off somewhere else. After he finished and spit, he grabbed his dirty clothes he arrived in and paused the music on his phone, grabbing it and leaving the bathroom and making his way to Erens room.

Without even knocking, Levi opened the door and walked into Erens room. Said man was laying on his bed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt with fuzzy socks, watching Criminal Minds on his big flat screen tv that was mounted on his wall. He looked over to see Levi, smiling. "Go ahead and put your clothes on the floor, we'll organize it tomorrow. I just want to cuddle with you" he said. 

The raven nodded and put his clothes on the floor by the closet and turned, crawling onto the bed and into Erens opened arms. He curled up against Erens side, resting his head upon the larger boys shoulder and pulling the blanket up to his shoulder. He let out a small sigh and looked up at the TV, smiling inwardly when he saw that Eren had put on the season seven finale, in Levi's opinion it was the best season.

Eren looked down and wrapped his arms around Levi, moving one of his hands to cup the smaller mans cheek and stroke it. "Did you have fun today?"

"Family is nice" Levi said lowly, leaning into the warm hand on his cheek.

"Yeah, they like you. My mom obviously does if she showed you her writing room. And after you left the kitchen, my dad said he liked you, and he doesn't like a lot of people."

"Hm" Levi closed his eyes as the sounds of JJ fighting the woman who broke into her home surrounded them on the tv. 

Eren peeked down at Levi and smiled softly, "go to sleep baby, I'll be here when you wake up."

Levi nodded against Erens shoulder, slowly drifting off to sleep.


	15. Don't Get Crisp With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> levi spends more time with the yeagers  
> pretty violent flashback in the beginning  
> eren gets his christmas presents  
> levi/erens first fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had an issue with posting, I accidentally posted it halfway through and I didn't mean to to that.  
> My bad lol

_Running. Levi was running. Running away from Jean, from Eld, from Isabel, Furlan, Zane, Phillip, Reiner, Bertholt, Nanamba, Rico, everyone. All forty to fifty people in this gang he was forced to join. He ran from the mental abuse, the physical abuse, the emotional abuse. He was running from the men who hit him, the men who used him. He was running from the look on his friends' faces as his addiction got worse. His anger issues were out of line, beating up anyone who got in his way. He yelled at everyone, pushed them aside, threatened them and stole from them. He would beat them without mercy. He was running, running away._

_He was slowly turning into the bastard he hated the most. The one tall mother fucker with the sharp eyebrows and jawline and piercing eyes that could kill you if he looked at you wrong. He was turning into him and he hated it. Levi was starting to become violent towards everyone, even people he knew. The whole southside feared him and he was only seventeen years old. No seventeen year old should have this reputation, none should have the kill count Levi has but here he is._

_He dodged bullets as he ran from Jeans house, he didn't have plan, he just slammed the front door open and ran. He could hear Jean and Eld calling for him and he couldn't bare to look to see if Furlan and Isael were behind him, he was hoping they werent. He heard Jean call his name and footsteps coming closer, Levi was recovering from a sprained ankle so he couldn't run as fast as he used too. He was the fastest person before the injury, but it wasn't his fault. Jean had done it to him when Levi disrespected him, Levi had no choice._

_The next thing Levi knew he was being tackled to the ground. "No!" he shouted as his head was shoved into the ground, it was raining so his face was covered in dirt and mud. "No, Jean! Get the fuck off me!"_

_"You fucking idiot!" Jean shouted and rolled Levi over so he was on his stomach, before Levi could make a move Jean beat him to it, pinning his arms to the ground and reeling his arm back to land a hard punch to Levi's face. "Fuck you Levi! Fuck you!" he landed punch after punch to Levi's terrified face. Blood spurted everywhere, on the grass, on Levi's clothes, on his clothes, everywhere._

_Levi wouldn't move, all he knew to do was sit there and take the beating. He was no match for Jean, not matter how many lessons he got. No matter if he was Jeans right hand man, he never stood a chance when his partner was pissed off. "Jean, stop!" He cried out. "Please!"_

_"You never doubt me again you mother fucker!" He growled and punched Levi again, "I do everything for you! I feed you! I sent Kenny to rehab! I buy you everything you need! And you take me for granted?!"  
_

_The raven was losing consciousness and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as Jean landed another hit to his jaw. The last thing he heard was a shout from Phillip. "Jean stop! You're going to kill him! We can't lose him!" and he blacked out._

"Fuck!" Levi shot up from the bed in a cold sweat, his heart hammering in his chest. It felt like his lungs were going to cave in on himself, his arms immediately reached up to his chest and to his neck as his breathing picked up. "Oh shit, fuck" he wheezed out, droplets of sweat dripping down the side of his face as his eyes got misty. _fuck, fuck, fuck._ He couldn't breath, this was it, he was going to die right now, Finally, he was done. Jean finally found out where he was and it was over. 

"Oh baby.. hey.. calm down for me, huh? It's alright" Erens voice wrapped around Levi's inner turmoil and took hold as the smaller man was embraced by warm and muscled arms. The brunett helped Levi lean back into his large chest, he pressed a kiss to Levi's head. "It's alright, it's just me. Jean isn't here, he can't hurt you Vi"

The only sound in the room was Levi's heavy breathing and the small wheezes as he tried to get more air into his lungs. He felt Eren press a hand to his forehead, holding his head in place. "Looks like you're running a little warm hun, once we regulate your breathing we'll cool you down, okay?"

Levi didn't have the strength to nod his head, he just leaned back against Erens chest and screwed his eyes shut. Flashes of Jeans angry face flashing through his mind, and the sounds his nose made as it broke echoed in his ears. He reached his arms up and covered his ears, "make it stop" he whispered, "please"

"Okay, okay" Eren acted quickly, putting his hands over Levi's that were on his ears. "I'll make it stop, I will okay? Can you help me make it stop, Vi?"

"yes" Levi whispered, nodding his head as he coughed when he breathed in air too fast. 

Eren shushed him, "okay, okay. Listen Levi, you're in Michigan right now. You're with me in my house, in my room. You're nowhere near Long Beach, and nowhere near Jean. My parents are here, so is Mikasa. We have a over the top security system hooked up in this house. Nobody is getting in Levi, do you hear me? You are safe here"

His breathing has begun to slow and the grip on his ears loosened, he felt Eren grab his hands and hold them to his heaving chest. "You're safe baby, safe enough to go back to sleep in my arms. I'll never let anyone hurt you, can you sleep hun?It's three in the morning. I know you can sleep, can you do that?"

Levi's breathing slowed down and he fluttered his eyes shut, leaning fully back against Erens chest. He started to grow tired and he leaned his head back. Eren pressed a kiss to Levi's head, watching as his boyfriend easily fell back into a deep slumber. The taller boy sighed in relief, holding Levi close as he followed suit. 

God he wants to kill Jean.

-

Around ten the next morning Eren was the first one to wake up between the two to a phone vibrating. he yawned and stretched his arms and went to roll over but was stopped by Levi laying on his chest. Eren just smiled and held him tighter as he reached for Levi's vibrating phone. He saw it was Kenny calling and he answered it in a quiet voice to try not and wake Levi, "hey Kenny, it's Eren"

_"Oh, hey Eren. How are ya doin'? How's Levi?"_

"I'm good, just woke up to the phone ringing actually. Levi's asleep, he had a nightmare last night so we were up late"

_"Everything alright?"_

"Yeah, right now at least. He's fast asleep now, been asleep for the last seven hours"

_"Must've knocked the poor kid out. It's a good thing you're there for him Eren, I appreciate it"_

He looked down at Levi's peaceful sleeping face, "it's my pleasure"

_"Alright, you're obviously whispering cause you're trying not to wake him up. I'll talk to y'all later, have a good one"_

"Yeah, goodbye Kenny"

Eren hung up the phone and set it on the nightstand. He wrapped both of his arms back around his boyfriend and looked down at him, moving his hand to caress Levi's cheek. He didn't see any tear stains on his cheeks, normally the raven never cried. Last night scared the shit out of him though, it was the first time he's seen Levi not being able to breath. If he's being honest, he didn't really know what to do. He's actually never seen that before, so when he saw Levi shoot up from his sleep and choke on the air he breathed in. 

He sighed softly, pressing a kiss to the crown of Levi's head. He wished he could make things better for the older boy, to take all of this shit away, to erase Jean from his memory. "hey, hun, time to wake up" he whispered softly, rubbing his hands against Levi's arm. He watched the raven slowly flutter his eyes open and Eren smiled, "good morning sweets"

"Ugh" Levi groaned and rubbed his eyes, "fuck, I gotta piss"

"You're something else in the mornings, you know that?" Eren chuckled while he watched the raven sit up and get off the bed, stretching hid arms above his head. "You alright?"

"Don't want to talk about it" Levi commented before exiting the room and heading towards the bathroom, leaving Eren alone in his room by himself. 

The brunette sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Of course Levi doesn't want to talk about what happened, he never does. Levi has some serious issues and all Eren wants to do is help him out but how could he do that when Levi wouldn't let him in? He sat up and took his phone off the charger, replying to some texts he received from his friends and checking his social media apps. He ended up going on Levi's instagram page, which consisted of pictures of him, Hange, and Erwin on many occasions and some of the pictures Eren has taken of him. Some others were of him and Kenny, the most recent picture was a group photo of Levi, Kenny, Hange, Erwin, and a couple more people and that was posted on Christmas, otherwise known as Levi's birthday. 

He looked up when he heard Levi walk back into the room, "have fun pissing?"

"Fuck off" Levi said, a small smile ghosting his face as he walked over to his bag. "I got you something for Christmas"

Eren cocked his head to the side as he watched Levi dig through his suitcase, "You did? You didn't have too Levi"

"But I did" Levi said and he pulled out three boxes with the label Gucci on top, walking over to the bed and sitting down across from Eren.

"You didn't" Erens eyes widened as he traced the word on top of the box, "This has gotta be some expensive shit"

"Nothing you're not used too" Levi said, he patted Erens thigh with an encouraging smile. "Now come on pretty boy, open it"

Eren nodded his head with a big smile, "okay, cool" he said and he grabbed the smaller box that had the gucci label on top of it. He popped the lid off and rustled through the tissue paper before grabbing the gift and holding it up. It was a black belt with a red stripe in the middle, outlined by a thing white line and in the center was two silver G's facing the opposite way. The shape of this belt looked brand new, almost like it was made when Levi bought it. "Look on the inside of it" Levi instructed and Eren looked at him before looking back down, flipping the belt over and observing the inside before his eyes landed on a gold threaded lettering. In a fine and sophisticated font was his name, Eren Yeager written in a golden neat thread. He looked up at Levi, "woah" he said, a smile on his face.

Levi just watched him and his lips curved up into a small smile, "open the other box, hot stuff. You'll like that one too" 

"Okay" Eren set the belt down on his bed and grabbed the other box with the gucci label on it, shaking it a bit. "This one sounds like shoes"

"Open it and you'll find out, dumbass" Levi rolled his eyes, "we don't have all day, I want to explore this wonderful cold ass fucking town"

Eren laughed and took the lid off, rustling through the white tissue paper before pulling a pair of boots. They were a solid leather black that would go a up a little past Erens ankles. There was a short half inch heel with a small platform, the grip at the bottom would really stop him from slipping and falling on ice. The boots were tied with a light tan, almost white laces that wrapped around the top and tied. At the bottom of the laces was a decorative strap that went across the boot. "Oh my god, Levi, how expensive were these?" he asked, holding up the boots.

"Don't worry, wasn't my money" Levi said quickly, "I hope those were your size, open the last box"

The younger boy didn't know how Levi got the money, he was too excited to think about it. He grabbed the last box and didn't hesitate to open it, tearing the tissue paper away and his eyes widened. "Oh god, Levi, what the hell? How...?" He held up a white gucci jacket with red and black lines down the sleeves, the collar of the jacket was a bright red and there was a gucci label on the right peck. The jacket was spotless, some sparks of silver dotted in some places with a mix of a line of glitter below the red collar. The end of the sleeves were cuffed. "Holy shit, babe.. how..?"

He watched Erens eyes widen like saucers like a little kid on Christmas as he opened each gift, it warmed his heart to see Eren so happy with the gifts he got. Levi loved buying things for people, it was one of the things that made him feel good. Also, he wouldn't mention to Eren that the cost of these gifts were over one thousand dollars, but it also was not his money so he was happy to spend it. Of course, he couldn't afford this from the money he made at the diner with Erwin. 

"Do you like it?" Levi asked, raising an eyebrow. "I hope it's all your size, I couldn't remember your shoe size so I kinda guessed by the size of your dick since I know that pretty well- mph!"

Soft lips pressed against his own and he immediately kissed back, wrapping his arms around Erens neck and intertwining his fingers together. Eren had leaned over all the gifts, wrapping an arm around Levi's waist. He pulled away after a second, gazing into Levi's silvery eyes. "Thank you Levi, really. I love you"

The raven smiled at that, "I love you too"

"Now, I'm going to change into my new clothes, and we're going to go out. I have a couple places I want to show you today. Dress warm, sweets" Eren said with a smile and he kissed Levi's cheek, getting up off the bed, grabbing his clothes and walking to the bathroom so he could shower.

Levi sat there and watched him move around and walk out of the room, practically bouncing on his heels in excitement. The raven just smiled and shook his head, _fuck, I'm so fucking whipped._

_-_

They walked down the stairs to get some breakfast about a half an hour later to get some breakfast before they were heading out. Carla and Grisha were out in the sun room watching TV, and Mikasa and Annie were downstairs in the living room watching TV together. As they walked past Mikasa looked up from their show at Eren, seeing his gucci get up. "woah, did you get a sugar daddy or something?"

Levi walked past them to get to the kitchen and flipped her the bird, "you're looking at hum, ugly"

Mikasa raised her middle finger back at him, "midget"

"So mean for someone whos wanting to be a cop" Eren spoke as they went into the kitchen, grabbing something light to eat and throwing Levi two apples. "We'll eat more for lunch, theres this awesome hot dog stand where we're going"

Levi caught the apples without even looking at Eren as he tossed them, taking a bite out of one of them. He was leaning against the wall while he spoke with Mikasa and Annie, "SO, why didn't you go to the police academy? You could've been graduating by now if you did it straight out of high school"

Mikasa shrugged her shoulders, "I want to be a cop, but I also wanted an education in case I went on to be a P.I or something"

"You'll be good at whatever you do" Annie commented, laying her head back on Mikasas shoulder. 

Eren came up and wrapped his arm around the ravens waist, "are you two doing anything today, if you want you guys can come with us? We're going out around the town today to show Levi around."

"No, we're staying in. Annie's got a small cold, maybe later" Mikasa said, she looked over at the two men. "Go have fun, see you guys around"

"Ready to go?" Levi asked, looking up at Eren. 

The taller boy nodded his head, "yeah, let's go. I'll go grab my keys, go ahead and walk out to the car and I'll meet you there"

Levi took another bite of the apple, "kay, bye" he nodded towards Mikasa and Annie before putting his boots on and walking out the door. He shut it behind him, walking down the steps and down the driveway till he got to Erens car. He tugged at the handle and sighed in disappointment when the door was unlocked. _Does Eren know anything about safety? Jeez._ He thought to himself as he got into Erens car, shivering as he shut the door behind him. 

A couple seconds later he saw Eren walk out of the house and Levi admired the way he looked. With his new boots, belt, and jacket, his hair fluffed to just the write volume and how his jeans hugged his thighs. He couldn't believe he bagged such a good guy, anyone on the south side would be jealous. Eren was handsome, well built, tall, kind, polite, and a gentleman. He was so precious to Levi, all he wanted to do was protect him. Eren was teaching him things too, like being in an actual relationship and going on dates. Levi was so thankful for him. 

Said man got into his car and shut the door behind him,sticking the keys in the ignition and started the car and turning on the heat. He looked over at Levi, "I feel spoiled, look at me" he gestured to himself. 

Levi gave Eren a once over and looked up at him, "You look great, shut the hell up. Where are we going?"

"That my good sir, is a secret that won't be revealed till we get there." Eren smiled and backed the car out of the driveway, heading towards downtown Bay City.

"Keeping secrets from me now?" Levi asked as he leaned back against the seat, looking at the scenery pass by. 

Eren drove with his left hand and rested the other one on Levi's toned thigh, "only when needed, now shush, we'll be there in about ten minutes"

For the next ten to fifteen minutes, they both sat in silence except for the radio playing some random song that Levi didn't really like but Eren seemed to enjoy. They drove out of the neighborhood and Eren headed up north, and Levi just stared out the window. He watched all the buildings pass by, small local businesses with snow covering the signs. Everybody was wearing winter attire, the sun was out too but it wouldn't melt the snow because of how cold it was outside. After passing many small businesses, Eren pulled into a parking garage, driving to the second floor since the first one was full. Levi did not like parking garages, and he made that clear when a glare washed over his face when Eren found a parking spot. 

Both boys exited the car and Eren made his way to Levi, walking next to each other as they made their way to the stairs. While walking down the stairs, Levi looked at Eren curiously as the man hasn't touched him since they got out of the car. He frowned when they reached the bottom of the stairs, but he chose not to comment on it. Eren was always affectionate. so having not being touched by his boyfriend in any way was a little strange for Levi and he figured something was up. He wouldn't ask until Eren was ready to tell him. 

"Figured I can park somewhere, and then we can walk around town" Eren said as he led Levi out of the parking garage, "are your gloves and scarf warm enough?"

Levi nodded and pulled his hat down to cover his ears, "yes, I can manage. Where are we going, Eren?"

The taller boy looked down at Levi, shoving his hands in his pockets as they walked. "Just downtown Bay City, some landmarks and stuff like that. We can go out for lunch too at this cute little cafe, I've known the owner since I was a kid so he always gives me and Mikasa free food"

"That's cool" Levi said as he walked closer to Eren for some warmth, he still wasn't used to the cold. He looked around at all the buildings and and raised an eyebrow once he saw the huge brown building they were heading too. He looked back up at Eren, "uh, where are we going?"

Eren looked down at Levi and smirked, "you'll see"

They walked into the building, both of them shivering messes. Eren had opened the door for Levi so the smaller man could get in the warmth first, and he walked in afterwards. Inside was huge and warm with a bristle of cold. The walls were coated with a bright white paint and there were decorations all over the place. On one wall was a huge case of trophies and on the other side was a front desk, and there were plenty of people here. Too many people, and it made Levi shift closer to Eren. "What is this place?"

"You really don't know what this place is?" Eren asked with a smile, leading Levi to the front desk. 

"No, I know theres too many people and if someone touches me they're dead" Levi muttered.

"Well hey, not a lot of murders are solved here so you'll probably get away with it if you do" 

The raven looked up at him weirdly, "please don't encourage me"

"I'm just saying, I see you're wearing the belt I got you" Eren winked at him, "but really, don't hurt anyone, I can't have that on my conscious. I'm here to show you around and make sure you have fun, Vi. So" He turned to the last at the desk and gave her a polite smile. "Hey Jenny, two mens one size eleven and the other a size eight please"

"How do you know my shoe size?" Levi asked while the lady, Jenny, went to go grab the shoes. 

Eren gave Levi a once over and gave him a small smirk, "just guessing"

Before Levi could say something back, Jenny came back to the desk and held up two pairs of skates. She handed the bigger pair to Eren and the other one to Levi, who had a tight look on his face as he grabbed them. "please tell me these aren't what I think they are"

"Those are skates, sugar" Jenny said as Eren handed her his card, "you ever skate before?"

Levi shook his head, "no, I'm from Cali... I don't even, how the hell do you walk on these?"

"Here's the thing" Jenny gave Levi a big smile, "you don't walk hun, you skate. I'm sure Eren here would love to help you out, he's a real catch and used to teach lessons here when he wasn't off doing some football shit"

The raven looked up at Eren, who shrugged his shoulders. "Thanks Jenny" Eren said with a smile, "this is Levi by the way, a friend from college. He's here to visit, never seen ice before"

Jenny nodded her head, "nice to meet cha Levi, you two have fun skating, ya here?"

"Will do" Eren smiled and nudged the raven to follow him, and Levi did. 

They went through a double door and as soon as they walked through it, a blast of cold air hit the both of them. Levi looked around, it was a huge rink of.. ice? He's seen this in the movies before, surrounding the huge ice rink were benches and on one wall was a whole line of small food places for grilled cheese, hot dogs, burgers, coffee, hot chocolate, etc. There were children everywhere and that made Levi smile, Oliver would like this place a lot. Parents were with their children on the rink, smiling and laughing, and there was also music playing from the speakers. "uh.." Levi looked uncomfortable to say the lease, just like the first time Eren met him when he asked if he could touch him while Levi was showing signs of a panic attack 

"Follow me, let's go put these on" Eren said and he led Levi to a bench, sitting down and taking off his boots. He watched Levi sit down next to him, "you okay?" he asked, putting the ice skates on.

The raven frowned a bit as he took off his own boots, and he put on his own skates and tying them. "I just.. how do I even do this?"

Eren smiled and leaned over, tying one of Levi's skates for him. "Like Jenny said, I used to teach lessons here during the summers when I wasnt off doing football. You'll like it, I promise, and you have a pretty great teacher to show you"

"Would you think I was a pussy if I said I was a little nervous?" Levi asked, watching Eren tie his skate.

"No, first time I skated I fell an busted my tooth and broke my nose" Eren answered and he stood up, "but I won't let that happen to you. Now" he held out his hand to Levi, "let's skate"

Levi hesitantly grabbed Erens hand and stood up, his legs shaking a bit. "oh my god, what the hell" he exclaimed, holding onto Eren tightly. "I'm like a fucking fawn, Jesus"

Eren let out a laugh as he watched Levi's legs shake, "just give it a sec Levi, it's your first time wearing skates. Just wait till you get on the ice"

"Don't remind me, Yeager" Levi snapped and moved his feet a bit, "okay, I think I can walk. I'm not letting go of you, though"

"Wasn't asking you too" Eren said, "hold on tight, we're walking to the rink."

And hold on tight, Levi did. He held tightly onto Erens arm as the two made their way to the rink. Levi's steps were that of a newborn deer or horse,occasionally slipping and needing to grab onto the younger boy. Not that Eren minded, he found it funny. Usually it was Eren hanging onto Levi cause he couldn't handle his liquor very well. He led the raven to the rink and just as they were about to step in, he heard Levi swear something in french that he had no idea what it meant. He just laughed and stepped into the rink, easily placing his balance in his skates and he held his hand out for Levi, who looked almost afraid. 

"Oh, so Levi Ackerman can stop a car going fifty miles an hour with no fear whatsoever, but a little ice scares you?" Eren said with a teasing smile on his face, his outstretched hand still aimed towards his lover. 

The raven frowned at Eren and shook his head, "No, I've dealt with worse things than ice. Uh.. okay" he grabbed Erens hand and stepped onto the rink and he slipped a little, "Eren.."

"I got you, Levi" Eren encouraged, "just take a couple steps to get used to the ice and I'll lead you, you can also hold the side of the rink to gain some balance too"

"Okay" Levi said as he stared down at his feet, gripping Erens arm tightly. "It feels weird, like I don't have any control over it."

"You'll get used to it" Eren spoke, "wanna hold onto me or the railing?"

Levi looked in between the railing and Eren, thinking for a moment before he clung onto Eren's wrist. "You"

The brunette gave him an encouraging smile again, "alright, have you ever been roller skating?"

"No" 

"Okay. Well, you've seen people ice skate in movies right?" Eren asked, and he was answered by a nod of Levi's head. "Okay, that's a start. You're basically putting one foot in front of the other, you lift your foot and then you push off with your thighs, that's where you'll feel a big of a burning sensation cause thats where your'e putting your weight" he explained. "You're going to lean forward a bit, like you're about to run. Just push off, and you're going to have to find balance on your own. But for now, I'll lead ya, okay?"

Levi nodded and looked down at his feet, lifting one of them off the ground the putting it back down on the ice. "okay, sure"

Eren smiled and he turned around so he was facing Levi, grabbing his lovers hand an began to skate backwards, bringing Levi with him. He watched Levi closely, giving him small instructions but the raven kept his eyes on his feet. He lifted his feet and bent his legs a little like Eren instructed beforehand, which made Eren smile. "You're going great, Vi"

"I would hope so" Levi said as he finally looked up from his feet, noticing they were halfway around the rink already. "Woah"

"You're not bad" Eren smiled as they continued skating. 

A small smile ghosted over Levi's face as he continued to let Eren lead him, it's crazy how much he trusted the man before him. As they skated, Levi felt more pressure build on his thighs. He eventually got used to it though, and without even realizing it he had begun to skate on his own. Eren noticed too, and he slowly but surely let go of Levi's hand. He kept skating backwards, making a way for Levi who had begun to pick up speed. Without even realizing Eren let go of his hand, Levi had begun to skate freely. 

Eren laughed, "Hey Vi"

"What?"

"I'm not holding onto you"

Levi looked up at Eren, and then down at his hand that Eren wasn't holding anymore. He looked down at his feet and then back at Eren, "you're not holding onto me"

Eren smiled and turned around so his backside was facing Levi. "Nope, not anymore. Catch me if you can, Vi!"

The raven stared dumbfounded as Eren picked up speed and left him behind, he rolled his eyes and smiled, picking up speed himself. He was still getting the hang of it, so it took him a second to figure out how to speed up like Eren did. After a few moments he was up to speed, passing people on the rink and keeping his eyes on his boyfriend, who he almost had to stop to admire. 

He was skating up ahead, passing people and doing small tricks along the way. He skated backwards, took longer strides to do some fun twirl and a jump. The brunette laughed and smiled as he passed a couple children along the way, patting them on the heads and some of them called out his name as he passed. It seemed like Eren was quite popular around here, and that made Levi happy. Eren was happy here, he knew his boyfriend felt at home the moment they checked in at the front desk. Eren looked so carefree, like nothing could bother him. It put Levi's heart at ease to see his boyfriend so happy.

Levi continued to skate and pickup speed, loving the way Eren looked. He obviously has been doing this for a long time, and good enough to teach other people. Levi liked this, feeling the cold wind in his face and the burning in his legs. He skated past more people, all of them greeted him and he gave them a polite smile back, which felt weird to him. Everyone here was so talkative to each other, it's nothing like the southside of Long Beach. He looked over to see a little girl who was holding onto the railing, watching as the other person who was with her, a boy, left her there alone. She looked no older then five or six, she had red hair and reminded him of Oliver next door. Taking one more look at Eren, who was skating some some kids and laughing and smiling, Levi took a detour and skated over to the little girl. 

Once he made it over to the railing, he squatted down, which was a lot easier than standing up on them. "Hey, need some help?"

She looked up at Levi, her eyes a bright ocean blue. She held tight onto the railing and shook her head. "I.. I can do it.. I think.."

Levi looked over at Eren and then back to the little girl, "what's your name?"

"Francis" She said with a small smile, her teeth crooked. "You came here with mister Eren?"

"I did" Levi gave her a small smile, "we're best friends. Do you want me to take you to him? I just learned how to skate today, we can learn together, I'm not very good"

"Neither am I" she said with a frown, "What's your name mister?"

"Levi" He said and he stood back up, holding out his hand. "mister Eren is right over there, I'll take you to him, alright?"

Francis looked up at him and broke out into a smile, she grabbed his hand. "Show me how to skate, mister Levi!"

 _Mister Levi?_ He pondered, but let out a laugh and took her hand nonetheless. "Just push with your legs and lean forward, copy me and you'll have it in no time"

The little girl nodded and Levi took off slowly, as slow we Eren did when he first stepped on the ice about twenty minutes ago. She held onto him tightly and laughed as they sped up, placing her feet down the right way and leaning forward. Her red hair flew as they skated faster, and Levi looked down at her. "You're doing awesome, Francis, wanna go faster?"

"Yes!" She said with a smile, "let's go!"

Levi smiled and kept holding onto her hand as they skated faster, and soon he could feel the wind on his face again. He chuckled along with Francis laughing as they passed people, he encouraged her to make funny faces at them, and they did every time they passed someone. Soon enough, they made their way around the rink one time and were going for another, eventually running into Eren.

The brunette was watching Levi after awhile, laughing and smiling with a little girl he was holding hands with and making funny faces to the other kids they passed, that actively made faces back at the two. He excused himself from some of the kids he was with and skated up to the two, causing Levi to run into him since he doesn't know how to stop on his skates yet besides running into the railing. Eren caught him and laughed, "woah there buddy, you good?"

"Fine" Levi said with a smile, he nodded down at Francis. "Eren, this is Francis, Francis this is mister Eren that you've heard about" 

Eren looked down at Francis, he squatted down in front of her. "Heya squirt, were ya looking for me?"

Francis nodded with a big smile on her face, "I was! I met mister Levi, he said he was your best friend!"

"That's right Francis" Eren smiled and ruffled her hair, "you learning how to skate from mister Levi?"

"We went around the rink!" She smiled, "he's nice, and short"

"Hey now" Levi cut in, "remember who's hand your holding"

Francis laughed and kept holding Levi's hand, "oopsies"

Eren smiled, "Since mister Levi taught you how to skate, how about you go and hang out with the other kids? They would love to meet you, tell them mister Eren sent you, okay?"

"Okay!" she let go of Levi's hand, "bye mister Levi and mister Eren!" she waved as she skated away to the group of kids. 

After she skated away, a little wobbly but she made it over, Eren stood back up and looked down at Levi. "Befriending kids instead of adults, I see?"

Levi rolled his eyes and shoved at Erens shoulder, "shut the hell up, dumbass. I don't see you hanging out with adults either"

"Mm, right now though, I'd love to be alone with you" Eren said as he lowered his voice in a suggesting tone, "I got a swipe card, no one is in the office from noon to one for lunch"

The raven opened his mouth into an 'o' shape, "you fucking horndog."

Eren pouted, "Leviiiii"

"Alright alright" Levi rolled his eyes, "lead the way Yeager" 

-

"Oh Levi.. _fuckkk_...."

"Fuck, please keep going, don't stop"

"Oh shit, Levi.. I'm cumming, I'm cumming... oh God!"

Levi's head was pushed onto Erens dick, forcing him to deep throat and breath through his nose as salty cum dripped down his throat. He was on his knees, ass sitting on his ankles ans going numb, his hands were intertwined behind his back as Eren instructed him to do beforehand. He was breathing heavy, tears had fallen down his cheeks, his hair was sweaty, and sweat dripped down his face. His mouth was still wrapped around Erens cock as he milked the younger boy through his climax, eyes rolling to the back of his head when he tugged at his hair. 

Eren looked down at Levi's red face buried in his lower stomach and pulled the raven off of him, enjoying Levi's gasping of air air the link of spit connecting his cock to Levi's swollen red lips. He watched as Levi looked up at him , sticking out his tongue and licking his bottom lip, disconnecting the spit link. His grip tightened in the ravens hair, causing the smaller man to wince. "tuck me back in" he whispered softly. 

The raven didn't hesitate to tuck Eren back in, zipping his pants and buckling his belt. He looked up at Eren and went to say something, but he was interrupted when Eren tugged up, bringing Levi up to his feet. He looked up at Eren, "I-"

He brought Levi in for a kiss, smiling softly as he felt Levi's arms wrap around his neck. Eren let go of Levi's hair, tracing his hands down the ravens sides and gripping his thighs, signalling for Levi to jump. Levi smiled and jumped, moaning into the kiss as Eren shoved him against the wall. The brunette smiled and pressed kisses down Levi's jaw and down to his neck, listening to his boyfriends moans become louder until he eventually found Levi's sweet spot. He bit down slowly, watching as Levi's eyes rolled to the back of his head that was leaning back down against the wall. 

Once he finished leaving the hickey he brought his head back up, pressing a quick peck to the ravens still swollen lips. "I love you so much" he said lowly.

Levi looked up at him, a blissed look on his face. "Love you too"

"Let's head out and go somewhere for a late lunch, how's that sound? We worked up an appetite, that's for sure" Eren smiled.

"Oh thank fuck, I've had burgers on my mind for the last hour."

They ended up going to a restaurant down the road, it served burgers and other items. Levi sat in his seat happily, munching on his second burger of the night and eating his fries. He's had about three glasses of water to make up for how much his throat was killing him, which was no surprise since he does this every time he gives Eren head. He looked at Eren, who was on his third bowl of soup and eating yet another bread stick, happily bouncing along to the music the restaurant was playing. The place was nice, big booths and the lights were dull enough so nobody could see the dried cum on the ravens face when they first walked in. 

After finishing his last bowl of soup, Eren leaned back in his seat. "ugh, I'm stuffed"

"Wish I was stuffed with your cock" Levi said around his burger he had in his mouth. 

If Eren was drinking, he would've spit it all over the table. He doesn't think he'll ever get used to Levi being so vulgar all the time, especially out in public. "Uhh.."

"Question" Levi swallowed the rest of his burger and took a drink, looking back at his boyfriend. "Why won't you fuck me?"

The brunette raised an eyebrow, "what?"

"I said, why won't you fuck me?" He asked again, a little slower. 

Eren looked around at all the people and then back at Levi, "can we not talk about this here?"

"Is it because I'm ugly or something?" Levi asked.

"No-"

"Are you a virgin?"

"Levi, no-"

"Oh God don't tell me, you're a bottom? Please don't be a bottom, I can't top cause I'm not tall enough"

"What the fuck, Levi-"

"It's not because I'm so demanding in bed, is it? Cause I think I do just fine-"

"Levi would you shut the fuck up!" 

Time seemed to slow down then as Eren realized what he did. Everyones heads turned to them, seeing a red faced Eren and.. Levi. The raven had pushed himself against the booth, one of his hands on the knife attached to his belt and the other gripping the table. His fingers were white, as was his face and his once hard eyes were rounded wide in shock at the fact that Eren raised his voice at him. He know's he's not supposed to think about it, but no one has raised their voice at him since he was with Jean. Jean always yelled at him when he did something bad, and every time he got yelled at there was a beating to follow it. That's what Levi was preparing for, a beating. He was preparing to fight, his hand gripping the knife tightly that he felt like it would cut him through the cloth it was held in.

Eren stared wide at Levi's movements, he's never seen him reach for his knife with fear in his eyes. Regret flowed through his veins and his heart sunk down to his stomach, everyone's eyes were on him. Usually Eren liked being the center of attention, but right now he didn't want to be. "Vi-"

"Hun, is everything alright?" The manager was with them now, a middle aged woman with brown hair and a look that could kill. She wasn't looking at Eren, her gaze focused on the smaller man. She put went to put her hand on Levi's shoulder, "Hun, I can escort you out-"

"Don't touch me!" Levi sneered, his gaze shifting up to the manager. "Move, I'm leaving, I gotta go"

"Levi-"

The raven didn't listen, he got out of his seat and made his way out of the restaurant. He put his hat and gloves back on as he slammed the door shut behind him, shoving his hands in his pocket. All he could think of was Jean. Jean would raise his voice at him. Jean beat the shit out of him all the time. Jean yelled, Jean hit. Every time he got yelled at he got beat, shot at, knifed. Jean did bad things to him. First it was yelling, then it was fighting, then it was the sex and then it was the beating. Every time after the beating Jean would leave him alone to think about what he's done.

That's what Eren was going to do, Eren was going to beat him and leave him. They were done, it was over. Levi did yet another thing to fuck something up, he always messes something up. He messes everything up! He deserved what he got, he deserved to be yelled at. This was fucked up, he was fucked up.

He didn't even notice a car pulling up next to him, or the tears that made their way to his eyes. "Hey, Levi! That you?" Levi didn't answer, he just kept talking, until he heard the voice again. "Ackerman, come on, get in the car would ya? It's cold out and the suns gonna set in an hour."

Levi turned his head at that to see Mikasa in her car, "Mikasa?"

"Get in, shortie" She said, seeing the devastated look on his face. "Come on, I'll take you back to our place"

Taking a look back at the direction he came from, he didn't see Eren. He frowned and rounded Mikasa's car, opening the door and climbing in the front seat. He buckled the seat belt and leaned against the door, looking out the window and staying quiet. 

Mikasa looked over at Levi as she started driving back to her house, "Where's Eren?"

Levi shook his head and let out a small sniffle, not looking at her. "Can you just drive... please?"

She doesn't think she's ever heard Levi's voice be so quiet, or even heard him cry. She wonders what Eren did, but chose not to question it. "Okay, my mom is home so she can take care of you, get you a warm cup of tea okay?"

He thanked her in silence. 


	16. I Fucked My Way Into This Mess, I'll Fuck My Way Out Of It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> levi/eren talk  
> eren encounters some.. old friends

They arrived home, the entire drive was silent. The radio was playing some random song from Mikasas playlist, some random song by Russ. It was a comfortable silence accompanied by the small sniffles coming from Levi. She glances over at him multiple times, she wasn't one to comfort people though, so she stayed quiet until they pulled into the driveway. Erens car wasn't here so he was either still at the diner or on his way home, or going to Connies, that's where he always went when he was stressed out. He would go there to play video games or drink.

She turned her car off and they both exited the car, Levi following Mikasa to the door and inside. While they took their shoes off, she turned to him. "Let's go to the kitchen, moms in there, you can talk to her if you want"

He didn't have the energy to say anything, just followed her into the kitchen. He sat down on one of the stools and rested his chin on his arms that he folded on top of the marbled surface. Carla turned as she saw the two of them come in, she went to greet Mikasa until she shook her head and pointed to Levi and Carla frowned. "What happened?" she whispered.

Mikasa grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, "Eren messed up, I'm guessing" she said, "Found him walking down the side walk, seemed pretty messed up. I'm going upstairs to see if I can get a hold of Eren" then she turned, heading to the stairs and to her room.

The two in the kitchen were silent, and Carla poured more hot water into a cup, opening her cabinet. "Vanilla or green?"

"Vanilla please"

She nodded and grabbed the tea bag, placing it inside the cup and bringing it over to Levi, who hadn't moved since he sat down. She set the cup down in front of him, "How are you feelin', hun?"

Levi looked up at her and grabbed the cup of tea, "shitty"

"What happened? Where's Eren?" Carla asked, she sat down on the stool next to Levi.

"Don't know" he said softly, tracing the ring of the cup. "He yelled at me in the middle of the restaurant and I um.. I freaked and left"

Carla raised an eyebrow, "he yelled at you?"

"It was my fault" Levi said quickly, "I wouldn't stop talking and even though I could tell he was getting mad I kept talking and-"

"Levi" Carla interrupted, "hun, there was no reason for him to be yelling at you, we do not raise our voices around here."

Levi looked down at his cup, he still hasn't taken a sip. "Where I came from, fighting is all I knew. And Eren is so gentle all the time so having him yell at me.. it.."

Carla gave him a sad smile, "it scared you a bit"

"Yeah.."

Carla frowned at that and looked down at her own cup. She felt bad for him, of course, Eren used to have quite a temper a couple years ago. He would come home from school and freak if something didn't go his way, she thinks he got that from his father. Soon enough though, she realized he was getting bullied at school for being gay, so she switched schools and Eren never yelled again. To have him do this now though, Carla thought it was un accepting thing to do. She sighed softly, "Levi, no matter what you two were talking about, he should not yell at you for it. Eren is a sweet boy, but his temper can get out of hand sometimes. It hasn't happened for years though."

Levi ran a hand through his hair, "it freaked me the fuck out.. I don't like it when people yell"

"Is it a trigger for you Levi?" She asked softly, she had some understanding. She hated yelling as well.

The raven nodded his head, "my ex yelled at me a lot" was all he said. 

Carla sighed to herself, taking a sip of her tea. "My father did when I was a child. He was a violent man, eventually my mom divorced him and married my step father, who is so kind now. He wouldn't hurt a feather."

"With what you went through" Levi began, looking up at her. "does it ever get better?"

"It does, sweetheart" she said with a kind smile. "Over time it does, and having people there for you helps too. Does Eren feel bad about what he did?"

Levi took a sip of his tea and stood up. "I'm going to go to bed, it was nice talking to you Carla. Goodnight"

She watched Levi walk away and frowned to herself. "Well shit"

Levi walked upstairs and to Erens room, opening the door and shutting it behind him. He sipped his tea as he took off his shoes, setting the cup down and kicking his shoes to the side. Levi shrugged off his coat and let it fall to the ground, not bothering to hang it up. He took his gloves and hat off, throwing those to the floor as well and went to his side of the closet, opening the doors and grabbing his pajamas. He took off his dirty clothes and tossed them to the floor, changing into his pajamas. 

He sighed and laid down in the bed, turning his phone off and putting it on the phone charger. He pulled the covers over himself and buried his face in the pillow, closing his eyes and sighing. One thought remained in his mind, and it was that he still doesn't know why Eren won't fuck him.

-

Eren watched Levi leave the diner and he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Fuck" he groaned, he looked out the window, seeing Levi walk down the street. 

"Sir, you still have to pay" The manager reminded him.

He glared at her and took two twenties out of his pocket, putting it on the table and standing up. "keep the change" he mumbled, grabbing his phone off he table and leaving the restaurant, slamming the door behind him just like Levi did. Eren jogged to the sidewalk and went to call out Levi's name when a car he recognized as Mikasas pull up next to his boyfriend. They talked a bit, then Levi got into the car, and the car drove off.

"Oh fuck me" Erem groaned and grabbed at his hair, "fucking shit"

Eren stood there for a couple more seconds before he took his keys out of his pocket and started making his way to the parking garage. He had his hands shoved in his pockets and his nose buried in the scarf he wore and when he finally made it to the parking garage minutes later, he went straight to the stairs and up to the second floor. He pushed the door open and shut it behind him, once he spotted his car he unlocked it and opened the door, getting inside and starting it, putting his heat on full blast. 

While he waited for his car to warm up, he checked his phone to see Mikasa had texted him asking him what happened. He frowned and didn't answer for a couple minutes, and as he started to back out of his parking spot his phone began to ring. Eren rolled his eyes and answered it, already knowing who it was. "Mikasa, I'm driving"

_"Oh well, are you coming home?"_

"Yes, I'm on my way, chill"

_"I just had to drive your boyfriend back home because you left him walking out in the cold"_

"Jesus Christ" Eren rolled his eyes as he finally exited the parking garage. "You act like he would've died, he's fine Mikasa. I fucked up and I'll fix it, alright?"

_"You better, I don't want to have to deal with this for a week. He's downstairs with mom now, so don't be surprised if you get an ass beating once you get home"_

"Wow, that's so comforting, thank you very much for the warning" he said sarcastically, making a turn. "Look, I'll be there soon. Just chill out"

_"Whatever, I'm going to bed. I gotta wake up early, so don't be too loud tonight. Night Eren"_

"Goodnight Mikasa" He hung up the phone and put his phone back in his pocket and focused on the road again, stopping at the occasional stop light. He listened to some songs on the radio as he drove, and eventually he made it to his home. He pulled in the driveway and shut his car off, looking through his dining room window to see Levi and his mom in the kitchen sitting on the stools. He watched as Levi stood up and spoke to his mom again before leaving, and Eren knew he was heading upstairs for either bed or a shower. Eren waited a couple minutes once again, preparing himself for the big apology before finally stepping out of his car once it got too cold to sit in there. 

Walking up the steps to the front door, he shivered harder, the temperature must've dropped severely since he left the diner. He typed in the security code to the front door and let himself in, kicking off his new boots and putting them on the mat so he wouldn't get the floor wet. 

"Nice of you to show up, Eren" He heard his mother speak and he looked up, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Um.."

"Go up and apologise" Carla said and waved him off, she sat down on the couch with her laptop in her lap. "I'm not mad at you Eren, we all make mistakes. He looked tired though, might be asleep already"

"Noted" He said and took his coat off, along with his hat and gloves and put them in the coat closet. "Goodnight mom"

"Goodnight angel"

Eren gave her a soft smile and walked upstairs, he walked past his sisters room and got to his bedroom door. He didn't know if he should knock or not, but he didn't hear anything so maybe Levi fell asleep quickly. He twisted the knob and pushed the door open softly, peeking in to see all the lights were turned off and that it was silent in the room. Eren walked in and shut the door behind him quietly. He took off his jacket and looked around, seeing Levi's stuff scattered on the floor, frowning. That wasn't like Levi, leaving a mess somewhere. 

He shrugged it off though, he has priorities. He hung his jacket up and unbuckled his belt, putting that in his dresser drawer. He undressed and pulled out some pajamas, putting those on quickly since he was still cold from sitting in his cold car for a little while. After he finished changing and putting on some fuzzy socks, he walked over to the bed. Levi was laying on his side, back facing Eren and he was breathing softly, and Eren just assumed that he was asleep. With a soft sigh, he got under the covers and softly pressed his front to Levi's back, wrapping his arm around the ravens stomach. 

It was quiet for a moment, and it left Eren to thinking himself into a depression coma. He knows he shouldn't have yelled, he know's some of what Levi's been through. He couldn't get the look of Levi's face when he raised his voice out of his mind, how quick his boyfriend went for the knife in his belt. That would've been the second time Levi held a knife to him if they weren't in public, and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of that fight. He sighed and traced over Levi's arm, to his shoulder, to his jaw, and to his cheek. 

Frowning when he realized his finger was wet from touching Levi's cheek, he peeked over to see Levi's eyes screwed shut and small tears slowed from his eyes. _He's awake._ Eren pressed a kiss to the ravens ear, "I know you're awake Vi." A small sniffle was the only sound in the dark room between the two boys, and Eren wrapped his arm back around Levi's stomach. "It's alright Vi, I'm sorry for yelling at you."

The brunette listened to the small sniffles coming from Levi and his heart sunk to his stomach, he felt awful. All he could do was hold Levi as he went through his own emotional turmoil. "I'm so sorry baby, I wasn't thinking. I'm nothing like Jean, I promise. I'm so sorry if me yelling triggered you in any way, it's okay Vi." He reached his hand up to wipe the tears falling sideways on Levi's face. "I don't like seeing you cry, let alone being the reason that you do. I love you, Vi"

Levi took a deep breath and reached down, intertwining his fingers with Erens as a way to say _it's okay, I forgive you Eren._ The younger boy just gave a small smile, pressing another kiss to Levi's shoulder. "Go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up. Goodnight"

"Eren?" 

Eren squeezed Levi's hand, "yeah?"

".. Why won't you have sex with me?"

"Levi.. why do you want too?"

Levi frowned at that, "You're not ace, that much is obvious. I don't understand why you won't, am I doing something wrong?"

Eren held him tighter, "God no, Levi. You aren't doing anything wrong, you do everything so good, so so good. It's just.. I didn't want you to get the idea that all I want you for is sex, ya know?"

"You wanted to make sure I wanted too?" Levi asked, he felt Eren nod against the back of his head. "I thought I made it clear that I wanted to though.."

"Well I know that" Eren whispered, "Did you and Jean do it a lot?"

"Well, yeah" Levi shrugged, "I thought it was normal to do it a lot with your partner. Erwin and I did like a million times, and then I meet you and the only thing you let me do is blow jobs. So it was just different"

Eren smiled softly and pressed another kiss to Levi's ear, "babe, every relationship is different. I wanted to make sure you were comfortable because well.. what you said about Jean.."

Levi frowned, "So that's why you won't. Cause of Jean" _Of course, Jean is ruining yet another thing for me. I'm never going to get rid of him._

"Baby" Eren gently spoke, sensing Levi's anger build up by the tension in his shoulders. "I don't know everything that Jean did to you, I don't want to risk you getting hurt or having a panic attack. I care about you, I don't want you reliving something you're obviously trying to move on from. You're strong Levi, but the strongest people break too."

"But I want to have sex with you" Levi said with a frown, "I'm not afraid"

"I didn't say you were afraid, Vi.. I need you to give me the okay while we're not in the heat of the moment, and if I ever do something wrong.. I need you to tell me right away and we will stop. My ex loved sex, but one time I did something that he was not comfortable with and he never told me, just ghosted me and I haven't heard from him since. I.. I don't want to hurt you"

The raven went silent at Erens confession, he thought for a moment before turning over so he could finally face Eren. "You won't ever hurt me, I trust you"

Eren smiled at that, reaching his hand up to stroke Levi's cheek. "I'm glad you do, I really am. But just in case I do I.. I can't take that chance.."

"I've never freaked out about sex before" Levi explained, "Not with Jean, not with Erwin or anyone else. It's always been so easy for me, I mean of course theres some things I don't like but that's for everyone, right?"

"yeah" Eren gave him a smile, "everyone has things they don't like, including me. Just promise me something Vi"

"Hm?"

"You'll be honest with me about this stuff right? When we eventually do have sex, you set your limits, tell me what you like and don't like, and the moment you feel uncomfortable, then we stop."

Levi nodded his head, "I promise"

"Good" Eren grabbed Levi's hand and brought it to his lips, placing a small kiss on his knuckles. "Now, want to talk about anything else?"

He shook his head "No.. I want to go to sleep"

"Turn over, I'm big spoon" Eren instructed.

Levi rolled his eyes at that and rolled over, "you're always the big spoon"

"You're too small to be the big spoon" Eren laughed and pulled Levi close to him. "Midget"

"Say that again I'll skin you alive"

"Love you too babe" Eren smiled, "goodnight"

"..Goodnight"

-

The next morning, Levi woke up early like he usually did, he was finally getting used to the sleeping schedule around here. He slowly removed Erens arm from around his waist, trying hard not to wake him up as he slowly slid out of his grip. Ever so quietly, Levi got off the bed and pulled the blankets back over his still sleeping boyfriend, who had buried his face into the pillow after Levi got up from the bed. He smiled down at him, god, he was so beautiful and looked so peaceful while he was asleep. Levi really did find the perfect man, Eren was all he ever needed. 

With the smile etched onto his face, Levi stretched his arms and turned around, looking down at the floor. All of his clothes were still on the floor, and so were Erens. He's guessing they were both too tired to put their clothes in the hamper, so Levi took it upon himself to grab all the clothes and put their clothes into their own individual hampers. Grisha had given Levi an extra hamper when he heard of Levi's OCD and the raven couldn't be more grateful. Once he finished putting their clothes in the hampers, he walked around the bed and grabbed his phone off the charger, turning it on, getting swamped with messages since he didn't answer his phone all day. 

_Missed Call from Kenny Ackerman_

_Missed Call from Hange Zoe_

To : Levi Ackerman

From : Kenny Ackerman

_Hey kiddo, just checking in. I'm cleaning the house for when you return with Eren in a couple days. Hope you're having fun, goodnight :)_

To : Levi Ackerman

From : Hange Zoe

_Heya! How're you and Eren? Is Michigan cool? Have you ice skated like in the movies? I bet it's so cool. I'm really bored, it's weird not hanging with you lol. I hung out with Erwin though, although I was a third wheel, which sucks. I miss Moblit. ttyl, Levi. Byeee!! :) :)_

Chuckling at the message from Hange, he sent a text back to both of them saying that everything was going great and he was happy and he would tell them all about his time in Michigan when he comes home. He slid his phone in his pocket and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, turning to look back at Eren, who was still dead asleep. Eren was snoring softly, now gripping the pillow to his chest as a substitute for Levi's presence, which made Levi want to laugh but he wouldn't. It was cute, Eren was cute, like a soft teddy bear that he wanted to protect. Levi loved him.

Giving Eren another once over, he turned and walked out of the room and shut the door quietly behind him. Levi walked down the stairs and he heard some noise in the kitchen, he groaned softly. He didn't want to talk to anyone, but his growling stomach pushed him to keep talking. When he rounded the corner, he saw Mikasa in the kitchen. "Hey"

She turned to look at him, taking a bite of the protein bar she had grabbed from the cabinet. She wore a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, her hair in a bun with slippers on. "Morning midget, how'd last night go when Eren came back?"

"Wow, you waste no time to ask questions" Levi commented as he sat down on the bar, grabbing a banana out of the fruit basket and peeling it, taking a bite.

Mikasa shrugged and looked over at the coffee maker, "You didn't answer my question"

Levi rolled his eyes and swallowed, "it went fine, we're okay, we cleared things up"

"Good" When her coffee was ready she poured herself a cup, adding in some creamer. "glad it worked out."

"You're being too nice, you sound weird"

"Midget"

"There you go" 

She took a sip of her coffee when she finished mixing it with the spoon and turned to look at Levi again, "Hey, is your last name really Ackerman?"

Levi gave her a questioning look, "why would I lie about my last name?"

"Shut up" Mikasa leaned against the counter, "Do you know if you have any other relatives?"

"Just my uncle" Levi took another bite of his banana, "why are you asking me this?"

"Because my last name is Ackerman too" Mikasa said, "When this family adopted me years ago, I changed my legal last name to Yeager. I didn't have any other family, so I was placed in their care really fast"

Levi cocked his head to the side, "Are you french?" he asked, taking another bite.

Mikasa frowned, she shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea"

"The Ackerman bloodline is either french or asian" Levi explained, "you could get a heritage test done at the doctors, since Grisha is a doctor I doubt it'll be a problem"

"You doubt what will be a problem?" Came Grishas voice from behind him, and soon he was walking into the kitchen in a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, which was the most informal clothes the raven had ever seen him in. 

His adoptive daughter turned to look at him, "I want to do a DNA test" she blurted out. 

Grisha looked at her and raised an eyebrow, "um, why would you want to do that?"

"I want to find out if Levi and I are related since we have the same last name" She shrugged her shoulders, "so can I do it before him and Eren leave for California?"

He turned to Levi as the black haired man took another bite of his almost finished banana, "you want to do this?"

Levi shrugged, "I don't really care, but yeah sure"

"I can call my friend and have him get you two in two days from now, right before you leave Levi. I'll let you two know" He said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

It was silent between the three for a couple seconds before footsteps were heard coming down the stairs, and the next thing Levi knew there was an arm thrown around his shoulders and a chaste kiss to his temple. He leaned into the warmth of the body pressed against him, listening to him speak to his family. "Good morning dad, hey Mikasa!"

"Morning son" Grisha smiled as he sipped his coffee, "sleep good?"

Eren smiled, "slept great, what were you guys talking about?"

Levi looked up at him, "Mikasa and I are getting a DNA test to see if we're related to each other since our last names are Ackerman"

The brunette looked in between Mikasa and Levi, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, okay, well that's cool I guess"

"I'm gonna go watch some TV, bye" Mikasa dismissed herself and took an apple from the fruit basket, carrying it and her coffee cup and walking up the stairs to her room. 

"She is not a morning person" Grisha chuckled to himself, "so what do you two have for plans today?"

Levi shrugged and looked up at Eren, his head still leaning against Erens shoulder, "what are we doing today? Staying in?"

Eren thought for a moment before shrugging his shouders, "I'll think of something, I do have one place I want to take you and I think you'll like it. It's pretty good."

"Can't wait" Levi said and he finished his banana, "I'm going to go shower, I feel gross and I'm cold." he got up from his stool and squeezed Erens arm slightly before heading upstairs. 

The brunette watched him leave and rolled his eyes, grabbing the banana peel and putting it back in the garbage can next to the bar counter. He looked at his dad, "hey, can I have some money?"

"How much?" Grisha asked, he took out a pan and a carton of eggs, preparing to make Carla some breakfast while she slept in. "I got seventy in my wallet."

"That's enough" Eren smiled and walked to their locked drawer under the bar where they kept their wallets, he found his dads and opened it, taking out three twenties and a ten. "Thanks dad!"

Grisha hummed, "No problem, is this money for your plans today?" he asked as he began frying up some eggs. 

Eren shrugged his shoulders, "I want to do something impulsive"

"As long as you can't tie it back to me and it's not illegal, I'm okay with it"

"Thanks dad! See ya later!" He smiled happily and turned around, holding the money in his hands as he jogged back upstairs. Eren heard the sound of the shower running and Levi's music coming from the bathroom. He walked into his bedroom and grabbed an extra towel, leaving his room and to the bathroom, knocking on the door. "Babe, can I come in?"

"And see you naked?" Levi's voice came from the inside, "fuck yeah you can come in, you can cum too if you want"

Eren rolled his eyes, "Jesus Christ" he mumbled to himself and he opened the bathroom door, walking inside and was instantly met with Levi's rock music and a shit ton of steam cause his boyfriend loved taking hot showers. He set his towel down on the counter and grabbing his toothbrush, wetting it and putting some toothpaste on it. "Dad gave me money, we can head out somewhere today" he said as he started brushing his teeth. 

"Aw, daddy gave you money, that's cute" Levi said as he shampooed his hair.

"You're in a mood today aren't cha?" Eren said around his toothbrush, beginning to wash his tongue. 

"Sorry, just really horny" Levi said with no intention on apologizing. "Where are we going today?"

Eren spit into the sink and rinsed off his toothbrush. "I think I want to get my nose pierced."

That sparked Levi's interest, he pulled the shower curtain back and looked at the brunette as he took his shirt off and set it on the counter. "Fuck, please do it. You'll look so good with a nose ring, not a stud but a ring. God, I'm gonna get a fucking boner just thinking about it."

He took off his pants and then his boxers, setting them on the counter. "You're always horny Vi, it's not that hard" he said and turned, climbing in the shower and going in front of Levi to get his body wet, rubbing his face. "Jesus, you keep it hot as shit in here"

Levi pouted and grabbed some of Erens shampoo, squirting it onto his hand and reaching up, lathering it in Erens hair and smiling softly as Eren leaned his head back to it was easier for Levi to reach. "Eren Yeager with a nose piercing, gucci brand shit, God it's fucking hot"

"Jeez Levi, calm your dick"

"How can I do that when we're both naked in the shower?" Levi rolled his eyes and took his hands out of Erens hair, "rinse"

Eren grabbed the shower head and rinsed his hair, getting all the shampoo out. He set the shower head back on the handle and leaned his head back, sighing in content as he felt Levi's hand in his hair again and the smell of his conditioner reached his nose. He hummed softly, "There's a soup place across from the tattoo shop I want to go to, it's really good. I'll take you there today"

"With daddy's money?" Levi teased, "rinse"

The taller man grabbed the shower head once more and rinsed his hair, he finally turned around to Levi and pushed his hair back. "Yes, with daddy's money you idiot."

Levi looked up at Eren, "we're okay after last night, right?" he couldn't help but ask, it's been on his mind all morning. 

Eren frowned and cupped Levi's cheek, stroking it softly. "Course we are, how are you feeling?"

"Okay" Levi shrugged and leaned into Erens hand, "Tired, but okay."

"Good" he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Levi's lips, pulling away a couple seconds afterward. "Because I want to get a nose piercing, take you to an awesome soup place, and maybe we can take pictures today?"

"Winter photo shoot and I'm guessing I'm your selected male model?" Levi asked, his mouth tilted upward into a smile.

Eren chuckled, "I wouldn't want anything else. Let's hurry up and get ready so we can go"

"Kay"

-

After helping Eren wash his body and a quick blow job from Levi in the shower, the two of them had finished getting ready, Eren had called the tattoo shop and they said they accepted walk ins. Eren had changed into a pair of black jeans, his black gucci boots, a white sweater with a turtle neck and his tan trench coat with a dark red scarf hanging around his neck. He had finished blow drying his hair and walked back to his room to see Levi, and his face broke out into a smile. The raven was wearing black skinny jeans with dark grey boots that gave him an extra inch in height, he wore a white sweater with his thick leather jacket over it with a black and dark grey huge scary wrapped around his neck. His hear was neatly styled like it was every day, some of his bangs covering the side of his face, wearing his black framed glasses. He was on the phone with someone, his back facing Eren. 

"Hell no, it's cold as shit up here" he let out a small laugh, "I come back in a couple days, I miss you guys. Tell your parents I said hi, and make sure to check on Ollie for me? See if he needs anything and I'll cash app you to pay you back if he does. I'm getting ready now though, Eren is getting his nose pierced and taking me to a place with apparently good soup, and we're also doing a photo shoot so I have to look decent. Yeah, yeah, okay, I got it. See you soon, bye you idiot, bye Armin" 

The brunette watched as Levi shoved his phone in his pocket and squatted down to tie his boots. Eren slowly tiptoed into the room, reaching his hands out. A couple steps further and he shot forward, grabbing Levi's shoudlers. "Got cha!"

Levi's hands were quick and he turned his head slightly to look at Eren through the corner of his eye. He grabbed Erens hand and the back of his neck, "big mistake" he smirked as he raised up, pushing his body forward and flipping Eren over so the brunettes back collided with the floor in front of him. "Idiot"

Eren groaned as his back hit the carpet, he rolled over and rubbed his back. "Fuck Levi, shit"

"Maybe at some point I'll show you how to do shit like that" Levi said with a chuckle, he offered his hand to his boyfriend who gladly took it, standing back up. He leaned up and pressed a kiss to Erens lips, "I love you"

"Please show me how to do stuff like that" Eren said, leaning down to press a kiss to Levi's forehead, "You ready to go?"

"Yeah" Levi smiled and grabbed his wallet, putting it in his pocket as well. "Let's head out, Yeager"

Eren lead the way out of his room and down the stairs, he bid farewell to his mother and father who were downstairs eating breakfast. He opened the door for Levi and the raven walked out first, holding Erens arm as they walked to the car, not ever admitting he was still freaked out over ice on the ground. They got into the car and made their way towards the tattoo shop, butterflies of excitement bursting in Erens stomach. He was excited, and Levi could tell. He rested his hand on the ravens thigh, turning up the radio and skipping every song on his playlist until he got to one he liked. 

After about twenty minutes Eren pulled into the parking lot of the tattoo shop, he shut off the car and they both got out, Eren wrapping his arm around Levi's waist as they made their way inside the building. The doorbell dinged as they walked inside, and Eren lead both of them to the front counter where some tatted up lady with red hair greeted them with a big smile on her face, "well hello, what can we do for ya today sirs?"

"I would like to get my nose pierced" Eren said.

"Well today is your lucky day, because we aint busy and I can pierce it for ya. Come on and follow me back to my room, I'll get everything started for ya. My name is Eleanor by the way, and you two?" she beckoned them to follow her as she walked. 

The two boys followed her and they all walked into her room, "I'm Eren and this is Levi" 

"Nice to meet you too, go ahead and sit on the chair Eren, Levi you can go ahead and sit in that reclining chair honey. This will only take about two minutes, nose piercings are no biggy" Eleanor explained with a smile while she walked to her cabinet, grabbing everything she needed to pierce Erens nose. 

Eren sat down on the chair and looked over at Levi, who made himself comfortable on the reclining chair. He was leaning back and put his hands behind his head, giving Eren a suggestive look. The brunette rolled his eyes and looked back at Eleanor, "will it hurt?"

She shrugged, "nah not really, I've had my nose pierced like four times. Nothing to worry about hun" she turned around and held up a needle, "now, let's get cha taken care of sweetums!"

-

"God, you look so fucking hot with that nose ring. Jesus, I would let you take me right here, right now"

"Jesus Christ Levi, we're in the middle of a soup shop and you're thinking about me dicking you down?"

"When am I not thinking about you dicking me down?"

"Oh my god"

They went to the soup shop right after Eren got his nose pierced, it went well and barely cost him nothing because Levi flirted with Eleanor until she gave them a discount and a promise that Levi would see her later even though they both knew he wouldn't. Eren had bursted out laughing as soon as they exited the parlor, claiming for Levi to teach him how to be straight and flirt with anyone. The soup shop was a cute little place, small enough that the music seemed to be loud. They were sat at a table by the window with a view of the downtown area, where they would take pictures after they finished eating. 

Eren was starving, he finished a whole bowl of soup and was on his second one while Levi was eating more crackers than eating the soup. His feet didn't touch the ground, he ended up swinging them after a while, causing Eren to laugh and the raven would give him dirty looks. The brunette smiled, "I love you"

Levi looked at him with a small smile, "Love you too, and I'm serious, the nose piercing makes you look hotter than you already were"

"You're non stop with the compliments today, you in a good mood?" Eren asked while taking another bite of his soup, catching one of the dumplings as he did. 

"Kinda, yeah" Levi smiled, "I'm excited to take pictures today"

The brunette raised an eyebrow, "you are?"

Levi nodded, "make's me feel good, and it's fun. Where are we doing it at?"

"Right over there" Eren pointed to the inner circle of the city, "there's a couple things I wanna use to take pictures of you"

"Cool" Levi said as he continued to eat, "let's hurry up and eat then before the sun sets and it's as cold as a bitch"

"Agreed"

-

By the time they finished the photo shoot, Levi was a shivering mess. Eren had went to the coffee shop to get both of them hot chocolates, he tipped the lady and walked back to his shivering boyfriend and handed him a hot chocolate. Levi took it gladly and sipped it right away, not caring about how hot the drink was. Eren put his arm around Levi's shoulder as they walked around the inner circle of downtown, enjoying the peace and quiet along with some kids laughing and screaming while playing with snow. The boys watched them with a soft look in their eyes, Eren looked down at Levi. "Would you like kids some day, Vi?"

Levi thought about it for a moment, for so long he never thought he would have kids because he was an addict. He shrugged his shoulders, "maybe someday, closer to my thirties once I have a good job and shit and move somewhere nice. I want a big house with a fence and all that shit, nice neighbors."

"Never figured you for poshy" Eren said as they started walking back to the parking garage. 

"Look at your own house you idiot" Levi rolled his eyes.

Eren laughed and kissed the top of Levi's head as they walked down the sidewalk, it was getting late, the sun was starting to set. They walked in silence but that was soon ripped away when there were footsteps behind him and a shout of, "hey, Yeager! Finally back in town?"

The raven felt Eren freeze mid step and he looked up at him concern, "Eren?" His boyfriends face had hardened, his eyebrows had knitted together and his arm tensed around Levi's shoulders. His nose was pinched, his lips tight, and the anger radiating off of him was immaculate. He said nothing for a second, but Levi caught on quickly and he spoke again quieter, "babe, let's go home alright?"

Apparently whoever was behind the couple heard them because the voice spoke up again, "coming back queer, yeager? Thought we beat the gay outta you, looks like we can have a round two, huh. Bring some gay whore from university? Does he want to join?"

Eren's hand began shaking as fear coursed through his body. _No, no, anything but them. Anything but them._ He wanted to leave, to go to Cali or back to Maria. He couldn't be here, and he couldn't believe he was dumb enough to stroll the streets of Bay City without running into the people who made his life a living hell. He could feel Levi's concern but he didn't care, he heard the raven ask if he was okay but he didn't respond. He finally took a deep breath and spoke loud enough for them to hear. "Go away, Max."

"Go away? Why would I go away when I found my perfect bitch?"

That made Levi want to turn around, but he did nothing. Obviously Eren knew who they are, and they were not good news. He kept his eyes on his boyfriend, who wasn't looking at him but straight forward. "Say the word and I'll kill them"

"No need" Eren said softly, he finally sighed and looked down at the raven. "I'll take care of this" was all he said before finally unwrapping his arms from Levi's shoulders and turning around to face the three people that made him feel like shit every single school year.

On the left was Sean, a tall black haired man with an undercut like Levi. He was the guy who shoved Erens head in the toilet his freshman year of school for being a teachers pet, Eren had never went to the bathroom without a friend afterwards. In the middle was Max, the guy who beat Eren up too many times in the back alleys and one time in the eighth grade he was thrown into a dumpster like that gay kid on Glee. And the one on the left, Dylan, was the one who said the most vulgar words to him in class, calling him a fag and queer and everything else in the book. He even told Eren to kill himself a couple times. 

He was petrified, last time he saw them was at graduation and he wanted to whither away that day. "What do you want?" he asked, his hand wrapped tightly around his hot chocolate. Levi stood idly beside him, forehead creased with a glare on his face, ready to attack at Erens command like some rabid dog, exactly how it was with Jean. He didn't mind though, not this time, these assholes probably deserved it. "What's the point? It's not high school anymore, so why are you even bothering at this point?"

Max crossed his arms over his chest, "did you miss us, sweet pea?"

"Oh, who's this?" Max looked over beside Eren to see the short man beside him. "you're new little fag friend, huh. You found a new one to ring in? You getting dicked down Yeager?"

Sean let out a laugh, "Jesus Yeager, do we have to teach you a lesson again? Which would you prefer, head shoved in the toilet or beaten up behind the bleachers?"

"Since you're a permanent gay now, wanna suck my dick Yeager bomb?" The three of them laughed. 

Eren didn't know what to say, he was over their shit but the thing was.. he was still afraid. To ever inch of his being, he was trembling. He was scared, this wasn't right. Why was he still scared of them? They didn't mean anything to him. If only he had someone nearby like last time he was with them, he had to take care of this. He wouldn't let Levi get hurt, he couldn't. These guys were dangerous, they didn't care what they did to anyone. He trembled, "I..."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, really, was loving the conversation" Levi's voice came from behind Eren, the raven stepped forward so he was beside Eren. "But please, fill me in here, who the fuck are you?"

Max chuckled, "well-"

"That's Max" Eren spoke again, "and Sean, and Dylan. They.. bullied me in high school for being gay"

"Oh Eren, you act like it's such a bad thing" Sean laughed, he went to talk again but Levi cut in real quick. He was tired of their shit. 

"Yeah see, listen" Levi crossed his arms over his chest, "Where I come from, you can be who you want to be without anyone giving you shit. Here must be a different story, cause you three look like pieces of shit. And where I come from, pussies like you get their ass beat"

Max smirked and looked over at Eren, "you got yourself a tough one, Yeager. Where'd you find him, a dog pit?"

"No, but I can certainly hold my own" Levi sneered, he was losing patience and he felt Eren take a step forward, "Not worth it Eren, let's go. They're wasting their time"

Eren looked in between Levi and his three childhood bullies, but ultimately nodded. He wanted to leave as soon as possible, he nodded and sipped his coffee as they both turned around. He wrapped his arm around Erens waist, feeling his boyfriend shake. "I'll kill them" Levi growled, holding onto Erens coat as they walked.

"It's okay Levi, let's just go home please" He practically begged, and Levi's heart broke at that. 

"Okay, it's alright Eren, let's go home"

They took a couple more steps before Levi heard the footsteps behind them get closer and he acted swiftly, reaching down and pulling the knife from his belt. He flicked it open and turned, but was meant with a hard punch to the face that caused his eyes to water and his head to fling back. The pain spread throughout his face and he winced, grabbing onto Erens jacket before he fell to the ground. "Levi!" Eren held onto him and looked over at Max, who looked very pleased with himself looking at the blood on his knuckles. Eren glared, fury and rage burning in those teal eyes. "You mother fucker, touch him again and you'll eat shit"

Max laughed and watched as Levi stood back up, he looked at the two. "I think you two are perfect for each other, two little gay faggots walking down the street. Fucking faries"

"Okay that's it" Levi sniffled as blood dribbled down his lips and chin, falling onto his clothes and the ground. "You fucking idiots, you have no idea who you're messing with." 

Erens eyes widened, "Levi, stop-"

Something inside Levi snapped when he saw Max leap forward to land a hit on Eren, he didn't know how fast he moved but he was fast enough. The brunette watched as Levi got in front of him and in the blink of an eye he had Max pressed against the wall, a knife to his neck. The raven might be short, about a foot smaller than Max, but he was strong and fast. "Holy shit" Eren breathed out in shock.

Levi glared up at Max, pressing the knife harder into his neck. "Fun fact, apparently if you kill someone here, nobody will find your body. It wouldn't surprise me, because nobody would give a fuck about you anyway" he sneered, his voice low and threatening. He went to say something else before he heard Sean and Dylan try to make a move, he kept his knife on Max's neck while he grabbed the other one on the belt Eren gave him, holding it up to the two. "You lay one hand on Eren and I will not hesitate to kill you, I've done it before and I will hot hesitate to do it again."

Eren watched the two boys stay frozen in place while they watched his boyfriend, Eren didn't know what to do. He's never seen Levi like this, completely in charge of the situation. The murderous look in his eyes and Eren was.. shocked. Who in the hell was he dating? Nevermind that, "Levi, babe, let's go. Don't do anything."

"He's like a rabid dog" Max groaned as blood began to leak from his neck, "fuck, kid-"

"Don't call me kid. And I am not a rabid dog" Levi said as blood continued to drip down his face. "You never speak to Eren again, do you hear me you son of a bitch?"

Max didn't say anything, but Dylan spoke up, his hands up. "Alright man, shit, just let him go. We'll leave you alone, just let him go before you kill him."

Levi was satisfied with that answer and he smirked, spitting blood onto Max's face and he backed off of the bigger guy. He stepped back, standing in front of Eren watching Max walk back to his friends. "Go. Now" he commanded, and the three didn't hesitate to turn and run with their tails between their legs. Levi spit on the floor, trying to get rid of the blood pooling into his mouth. Once they were out of sight, he straightened up and put both of the knives back in his belt. 

Eren walked up to Levi, putting a hand on the ravens shoulder. "You just.. you just stood up to the three people that bullied the fuck out of me in high school. Levi I.. thank you.."

The raven turned to look up at Eren giving him a small smile, showing his blood coated teeth. "I love you."

"C'mon baby, let's get you cleaned up, you're making a mess." Eren didn't bother asking any questions, and neither did Levi. They wanted to go home, they were fucking freezing and Eren was tired. He put his arm around Levi's shoulders and he grabbed some napkins he accidentally pocketed from the soup store and handed them to Levi, "clean yourself up before you get into my car, is it broken?"

"Not even close" Levi said, covering his nose. "Lead the way, Eren"

"Right'" Erem mumbled, leading the way. "Lets go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally decided this book will have around thirty to forty chapters so enjoy!  
> leave kudos :)


	17. Michigans In The Rearview Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is more of a filler chapter :/  
> and kinda short :( sorry

"Eren, I'm not trying to tell you what to do but this really hurts"

"Shut up Vi, let me do this."

They got back to the house about twenty minutes ago, both boys avoided Erens parents and went straight upstairs into Erens bathroom. The taller boy told Levi to sit on the counter so they were almost the same height and Levi didn't protest, doing what Eren said. He tilted his head back and let Eren clean his nose, wincing when he used a bit of alcohol to clean it, but said nothing. He knew Erens emotions were fragile, so he waited for Eren to start up a conversation.

His head was pounding, but Levi was used to it. He could take a hit, he was mostly concerned with Erens well being. He couldn't imagine seeing someone who caused him that much trauma, that was like him seeing Jean again. He kept his eyes closed as Eren cleaned him up, and when he was finally done, he opened his eyes to see Eren looking right at him. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing I haven't dealt with before" Levi answered and he frowned, "Are you mad?"

"No baby" Eren sighed and he stayed standing in between Levi's legs. "I just.. seeing them again.."

Levi frowned and went to say something before Eren took some white tape, placing it on the bridge of Levi's nose where his glasses cut him when Max broke them. He winced as Eren applied it, "ow, fuck"

"There, good as new" Eren said, he was still being monotone just like when they left the scene earlier. He turned and turned the sink on, washing his boyfriends blood off his hands. He didn't say a word as he turned around, grabbing a towel and wiping his hands. "Let's go to bed, I'm tired"

The raven watched as Eren left the bathroom and he jumped off the counter, following Eren into his room. He locked the door once they were both in there and watched as Eren stripped of his clothes, tossing them into the hamper. "Eren, talk to me" he said as he took his jacket and scarf off, tossing them in his hamper. Eren still didn't respond and Levi sighed, "Eren-"

"Levi, please" he turned to look at Levi, a pleading look in his eyes. "I can't talk about this" his movements were shaky as he changed into his pajamas, as was his voice. "I can't.. relive what they did to me Vi..."

Levi frowned at the shakiness of his boyfriends voice and finished putting on his pajamas, walking over to him and put a hand on Erens shoulder since he wasn't facing him. "You don't have too, Eren. They're assholes-"

"You were going to kill them" Eren cut him off, the tears welling into his eyes. "And you know what the worst part was? I wanted you too"

"Eren-"

Eren turned around and that's when Levi saw his red rimmed eyes trying to hold back tears, "am I crazy for wanting them dead, Vi?"

Levi shook his head, "Oh Eren.. no.. no you're not crazy. It's okay.. how about we lay down, hm? Go lay down, I'll plug our phones in and put the TV on, Criminal Minds?" he said softly, rubbing Erens arm. "Let me take care of you.. alright?"

The brunette faltered and nodded, turning towards the bed and laying down. As he got under the covers, he heard Levi shuffling around the room and soon enough he heard the sounds of Criminal Minds blasting throughout his room. He felt the bed dip and Levi get under the covers, and soon a weight was pressed against his back. He sniffed, "you're too small to be the big spoon."

"Then roll over, idiot" Levi whispered, "I know you Eren, your voice is shaky, you're trembling, I.. if you want to cry, it's alright. Come here"

Eren wasted no time and he rolled over, laying his head onto Levi's chest and sighing softly as he felt the ravens arms wrap around him. He closed his eyes and pulled the covers up to his chin and they laid silently for awhile. Criminal minds played on the TV and Eren felt so warm to the point where he could sleep, and Levi sensed it. The older boy kissed the top of Erens head, "go ahead and sleep, I'll be here when you wake up"

At that, Eren fluttered his eyes closed and fell asleep, small snores emitting from his larger body.

_Water filled his lungs as his head was shoved in the toilet and he heard laughing voices around him. His hair was in a tight grip and right when he was about to lose consciousness, he was pulled out of the toilet bowl gasping. He was seeing stars at it was, and the grip in his hair loosened and he was let go. He coughed up water and groaned, his wet hair stuck to his forehead._

_"God Yeager, you're a fucking loser."_

_He remembers those words so clearly, it was Sean who spoke them. He could hear the three laughing from behind him, Max and Dylan included. He felt tears falling down his cheeks, he was only fourteen and his first day of high school. Everybody hated him because he was openly gay. High school sucks!_

_"Pathetic. See you tomorrow Yeager"_

_His head was gripped again and the next thing he knew, pain exploded in his head and he blacked out._

"Fucks sake Eren, wake up!"

His eyes snapped open and he lifted his head too fast and he bumped his head against something hard. "ow, shit"

"Fuck!"

Eren looked up to see Levi holding his nose, blood starting to fall. "shit, Levi, I'm sorry. Let me clean it up I-"

"Calm down Eren" Levi said, his eyes had watered from Erens hard forehead hitting his bruised nose. He sat up and got off the bed, wiping the blood. "Give me a second to clean myself up." 

"I.." Eren sighed, "okay.." he watched as Levi walked out of the room and he sighed, sitting up and burying his face into his hands.

God, he remembers all the times he was scared to walk home from school, when he was scared of going to the bathroom alone. He remembers all of the words he got called, the paper balls thrown at his head, the three boys laughing at him. It was awful, and seeing them again... seeing them again is fucking ruining everything. Levi got hurt because of him, he was bleeding because of him. He wanted to keep that part of his life out of the picture when he left for college, coming home was a mistake, walking around downtown was a mistake. Levi got fucking hurt because of him. Because of him-

"Eren, babe, breath" Levi's soothing voice spoke, "come back to me Eren, you're alright, just breath"

He didn't realize it, but his breathing had picked up and tears had begun rolling down his cheeks, his face was red and his hands were in his hair. He tried to calm his racing thoughts, all he could see was Levi's bloody face and he didn't do a damn thing about it. He's such a fucking pussy, he just stood back and watched Levi take care of his business. He should have done it, he should've-

"Shh.." Levi spoke again, the bed dipped the next thing Eren knew, Levi was sitting on his lap. "Eren, you gotta breath or you'll choke on what little air you're breathing in"

Eren nodded and he felt one of Levi's hands wrap around him and pull him close, 'I'm sorry" he whispered out against Levi's shoulder. "I'm so sorry"

Levi wrapped one arm around Eren, the other was holding tissues to his nose. He pressed a kiss against his boyfriends head, "sorry for what?"

"For allowing you to get hurt. I just stood there and- and-"

"Shh" Levi comforted, "You didn't need to do anything Eren, that was me acting on my own actions. Did I.. did I scare you?"

Eren shook his head, "no"

"Good" Levi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, "But they deserved it, they deserve a beating for everything they've done to you Eren."

Taking a deep breath, Eren sniffled. "they bullied be from first grade to senior year, even when I was on the football team with them. When Sean found out I was the quarterback instead of him.. I was beaten to a pulp because I was so fucking scared and couldn't stand up for myself. I was the only out gay kid at my school." 

The raven sighed softly, "they're assholes, no one should make you feel scared of who you are"

He wiped his eyes on Levi's sweatshirt, "When I left for Maria I thought I would never see them again but today.. seeing them and hearing them talk.. when they said my name, called me a fucking fairy I.." he sniffled, "God, I hate them"

"You're a good person Eren" Levi whispered quietly, "You're making use of your talents and going to school, you're gonna help kids learn math and take pictures along the way. And what are those bullies gonna do, huh? Sit and gravel at your feet someday because you're gonna be happy with your future and they might be six feet in the ground, courtesy of moi if you let me."

Eren let out a wet chuckle, "I won't let you, but thanks for the offer"

Levi smiled and leaned his head against Erens, "anytime. Sounds like you got your breath back."

"Yeah" Eren wrapped his arms around Levi's waist and he pulled away, looking at Levi. "Thank you for that. How's your nose?"

The raven took the tissue away from his nose and felt for blood, not noticing anymore falling. "Hurts, feels fine. Not broken, but with your hard ass head I wouldn't be surprised."

"Hey now" Eren smiled, "you're so mean."

"And that put a smile on your face" Levi commented, tossing the bloodied tissue into the trash next to Erens bed. "You feeling okay now?"

Eren shrugged his shoulders, "I kind of wanted to sleep again, I'm still tired."

Levi shrugged, "that's fair, it is like three in the morning so, you dont wake up for the next like eleven hours."

"Stay with me when I wake up?" Eren asked, pressing a kiss to Levi's cheek.

"Course" Levi said and returned to kiss to Erens cheek. He was about to move off of Erens laugh but then the brunette just leaned on his back, pulling Levi on top of him. Levi didn't question it and he just cuddled into Erens chest, smiling as the younger boy pulled the blankets over him. "Night Yeager bomb"

"Shut the fuck up midget"

"Love you too."

-

"Okay, we got your guys' samples and everything will be ready in about a week or week and a half, we're a little slow on things right now so I apologize in advance if it takes two weeks for the results to come in. You two have a good day now, okay? Stay warm"

"Bye Doctor"

Levi didn't spare a glance, he just walked out of the doctors office with Mikasa behind him. They just got their DNA swabbed to see if they were related, and both Ackermans were not very happy. They both wanted to know but damn, they both didn't like the guy Grisha referred them too. "Didn't like him"

Mikasa rolled her eyes as she took out her car keys, "he's a dick"

They walked out to the waiting room to see Eren almost asleep in one of the waiting chairs, they looked to each other and rolled their eyes as Levi kicked the chair Eren was sitting on. He jumped and looked up to see both of them looking down at him and he laughed nervously. "Uh.. hey"

"We're literally gone for like twenty minutes and you're falling asleep, wow"

"You slept for twelve hours last night Eren, how are you still tired" 

The brunette looked up at the two of them, his eyebrows knitted together. "Jeez, I wouldn't be surprised if you two were related. You both hate me"

"Yeah, that's I hate you so much I wake you up with a blowjob every morning" Levi rolled his eyes. 

Mikasa frowned, "and I hear him every morning"

Levi smirked and looked at her, "he sounds great though, doesn't he?"

"Okay, alright. Don't tell me about how my brother sounds, I'll fucking puke" Mikasa gagged.

"Adoptive brother" Eren stood up and put his arm around Levi's shoulders. 

Mikasa rolled her eyes, "whatever. When is mom and dads dinner tonight?"

"Seven" Eren answered, "then Levi and I leave for our flight at nine in the morning"

She nodded, "well I'm going to Annies house, I'll see you two at seven"

Both Eren and Levi watched Mikasa walk out of the waiting room and once she left, Eren lead Levi out of the hospital and the raven shifted closer to Eren. They were both in joggers and a sweater with a jacket and scarf, with beanies on their heads. Levi's nose still had a bandage on it from a couple days prior, and he already called Kenny to give him a new pair of glasses that matched the one he owned. They walked outside and got into Erens car, getting in and immediately turning the heat on once the car was started. "he swabbed my mouth" Levi said. 

"Uh gross" Eren said as he backed out of his spot, "was it fun?"

"Would've rather had your dick" Levi looked over at Eren as he drove, "How fast do you think I can make you cum?"

Eren looked over at Levi and saw the raven give him a once over, "my God Levi, are you gonna blow me in my car?"

Levi raised an eyebrow, "time's a wastin' Yeager"

"Christ, I-" Eren sighed, "okay just.. finish me off before we get in my driveway."

The raven was already unbuckling, "promise"

-

Carla sighed to herself as she took a sip of her red wine, then settling the wine glass on the table. "Oh Levi, I wish you didn't have to go. That means we won't be seeing you guys unless you come here for some part of summer" she said sadly, looking over at Levi, who was digging into Erens bowl of ice cream after he finished his. The raven looked at her and gave her a slight smile, "Maybe"

"Oh, wouldn't that be great Grisha? We could have everyone over for a summer party, a cookout" Carla said, her cheeks tinted a rosy red.

Grisha let out a soft laugh and put his hand on his wife's shoulder, "she's had a little too much wine"

"Like she always does" Mikasa commented with a small smile, "it's funny when she drinks vodka, then it's a party"

Carla rolled her eyes, "Oh Mikasa, shush"

"But it's true" Eren said, passing Levi some more of his ice cream to keep his boyfriend occupied. "One time mom, you drank vodka and called me Mikasa and called Mikasa my name for a good couple hours, even told me that I should marry Annie"

Annie snorted as she drank her tea, "Mrs. Yeager, you are quite the party animal"

Grisha cut in, "she is indeed."

"Oh shush, you"

Everyone at the table laughed at the two of them, it was a nice little family dinner. They were served some italian dish wish a lot of noodles, bread sticks on the side and white or red wine of their choice, or tea, which is what Levi and Annie had. They also had a bowl of homemade ice cream that Grisha made, which was delicious. Levi had already finished his bowl and was now eating Erens, who didn't really care. He eats this ice cream all the time and he doesn't really like it. 

Grisha turned to Levi, "but seriously, will you come back this summer?"

Levi looked up from his bowl of ice cream at Grisha and swallowed, he looked at Eren who nodded his head and then back at his dad. "Um, yeah, sure. Yeah. Maybe we can split the summer or something"

"Oh, that would be lovely" Carla smiled, "then we could all hang out as a family."

"Yes honey" Grisha shook his head fondly. 

Levi ate some more of his ice cream and pointed to Erens wine, "can I have some?"

"I thought you were laying off the alcohol?" Eren whispered softly while everybody chatted with themselves. 

"Just the hard liquors" Levi answered.

Eren shrugged and handed Levi his glass, watching the raven take a sip of his wine and handing it back to him. "Good?"

Levi leaned in to whisper so nobody else would hear him. "All this rich shit is good, this ice cream is awesome."

"You're awesome"

"And you're an idiot" Levi smiled and finished the bowl of ice cream.

Everybody talked and laughed with each other until they all finished their food. Mikasa and Annie volunteered to do dishes, Grisha took Carla upstairs to put her to bed once she got tired, and that left Levi and Eren to go and get ready for bed. They showered together and climbed into bed together, wrapped in each others arms. They lay in silence for awhile until Eren spoke, "hey babe, you asleep?"

Levi groaned and buried his face into the pillow, "mm, about to be, what is it?"

"Will Kenny like me?" Eren asked. 

"Ask me another question while I'm trying to sleep and I'll do to you what I tried to do to Max"

"But Leviiiii..."

"Eren can I please sleep?"

"Ugh fine, whatever" Eren laughed and buried his face into the ravens back. "Night sweetums"

"Gross, don't call me that"

"Goodnight baby"

"That's better, night"

-

Both boys were sluggish the next morning. They were up hours before they had to be at the airport packing their bags and making sure they each had everything. With a goodbye kiss and hug to Eren from his parents, and a farewell to both boys, they were off to the airport with Mikasa driving her car. The drive was silent, they were silent when they arrived and when they unloaded the car. Mikasa waved them goodbye and told Eren to text her when they landed and got settled into Kenny's, and Eren joked around teasing her that she would be worried about him, and she got out of the car and smacked him. Levi laughed at both of them and after saying goodbye, the two boys went into the airport. An hour later around nine, they loaded themselves into the plane. 

As soon as they got onto the plane Levi wanted the window seat and Eren didn't mind, he was too tired to care. Levi had put his airpods in and turned on his playlist full of nature sounds to fall asleep too. He leaned his head on Erens shoulder, who in return leaned his head against Levi's after putting on his headphones and playing his own playlist. He spread out the blanket between them and kissed the top of Levi's head before falling asleep minutes later, Levi following closely behind.

Ten hours later they arrived at the airport, Levi had woken up first and he shook Eren awake. The airplane landed and everybody got off, grabbing their own bags and leaving. Levi and Eren walked quietly, both tired from waking up to the sound of the plane landing. Levi lead them out of the airport, once they were outside he took his sunglasses from his pocket and put them on, watching as Eren did the same thing. Eren was told from Levi to look for a black nice detailed truck. He looked around before finally seeing one, and a tall man with a hat waving. "Found him"

"Kenny!" Levis face broke out into a smile and he dropped his bags to the ground, running over to his uncle when he spotted him. He ran right into Kennys open arms and jumped, expecting his uncle to catch him, and just like he assumed, Kenny did. He hugged Kenny tight, to the point where the man could barely breath. 

"Ah! Hey kid! I missed ya" Kenny said with a smile as he hugged Levi, he looked over his nephews shoulder seeing Eren carrying both of their bags and suitcases to the truck. He held onto the runt and offered his hand to the brunette when he finally arrived to the truck. "Nice to finally meet you, Eren"

"Nice to meet you too" Eren laughed when Levi clung to Kenny like a koala. "I think he likes you more than me"

Kenny barked out a laugh, "well he better, I raised him. Kid, you're getting heavy. I'm putting you down."

He put Levi down and looked between the two, "You didn't tell me Eren was a big fuck, jeez, how tall are you kid?"

Eren shrugged, "uh, 6'2 I think."

"Well I'll be dammed, you're an inch taller than me. And a foot taller than Levi, he tell's everyone he's five five but he's actually five two"

Levi frowned and looked between the two, "Well I'm sorry I drew the short end of the stick."

Kenny put his arm around Levi's shoulders and laughed, "Eren, you mind loading the bags in the back? We're heading straight home."

"Yeah, no problem" Eren smiled and loaded the bags into the back of the truck while Kenny and Levi got into the front of the truck. He felt weird only being in shorts and a t-shirt, the weather was so warm here in January it's crazy. There was so much sun too, it was bright and crowded here. He finished unloading and went to the front of the truck, opening the door and getting in. He sat down next to his boyfriend, who was in the middle of him and Kenny. 

Kenny looked over at Eren and then his nephew, "y'all ready to come home?"

"Let's go" Levi said and turned the radio on, rock music blasting from the truck.

Eren jumped at the loud music and bounced against the seat as Kenny drove off quickly. The wind blew in his face as Kenny sped down the road, and he looked over once Kenny and Levi started screaming along to whatever song was playing on the radio, which involved a lot of yelling. He just laughed and watched them, they're relationship was obviously close. Eren leaned his head against the door, letting the wind blow his hair back. 

This week outta be fun.


	18. Testing For Gravity

California, Eren learned, was hot and crowded and everybody wore clothes that barely covered their body. He observed all the businesses they past on the way to Levi's house, the stores and the people. Everyone seemed happy and carefree where they were, and an hour later they were in a different spot of Long Beach he guesses because it wasn't as crowded and some of the houses were close together, but everything was still in good condition considering it was California. The yards were huge and many neighbors were hanging out with each other, overall everybody looked so happy and carefree. Eren even saw a couple pride flags hanging off of some houses, he never saw that in Bay City.

Screaming between the two Ackermans continued the entire way back to their home and Eren felt like he would go crazy, but he also found it amusing. It was a little while longer before they pulled into what Eren assumed was Levi's home and Kenny turned the truck off, "alright you two, unload your bags and I'll order us a pizza since it's dinner time and I don't feel like making shit." he said as he opened the door and got out.

The Ackerman house was a two story house with a bright green yard, a nicely plated driveway and a white fence surrounding the yard. The front of the house had a white porch that matched the white paint of the house, everything looked clean and in good shape and that was no surprise considering Levi was a clean freak. Both Eren and Levi exited the truck and Levi hopped in the back after stepping off the back tire, "I'll hand the bags to you" was all he said as he reached down for the bags and began handing them to Eren.

He caught the bags easily, setting them on the ground. "It's hot as hell here" he commented as he was handed another bag.

"Yeah no shit, it's the southern end of California" Levi said, tossing Eren another bag, "place is always hot, what else would you expect?"

"Not sure" Eren answered as he was handed the last bag, he held his hand out for Levi who gladly took it, stepping over the side of the truck and jumping down to the ground. He looked down at Levi as they grabbed their bags and he was led to the Ackerman front door, "your place is cute"

Levi snickered, "don't call my place cute, Yeager" he said as he typed in the security code to the front door and opening it once it dinged. "Welcome to the Ackerman home, I guess"

Once he entered he looked around, taking in where his boyfriend was raised. The walls were painted a smooth white and there was a dark brown tile on the floor, the house looked bigger inside than on the outside. The furniture was all mostly dark brown and there was a flat screen tv in the living room. Pictures hung on the wall of Levi and Kenny, some of Levi's friends and some of people Eren didn't recognize. The home looked so.. homey. It was small and cute, perfect for two people. 

Eren stood next to Levi, "so uh, these bags are kinds heavy, where's your room?"

"Right, follow me" Levi instructed as he turned left, walking up the stairs. 

The younger boy followed Levi up the stairs, staring at the pictures as they walked up the stairs, which were kind of steep. He recognized Levi, Kenny, Hange and Erwin in the pictures but didn't recognize some woman who was with Levi in some other pictures. He would ask about her later, maybe it was the ravens mom. He followed Levi up the stairs and to the first door on the left, watched as the raven opened it and led him inside. Once inside, Eren looked around to see a simple bedroom, which is what he expected from Levi. The walls were painted a dark grey/blue with a white ceiling and trim board by the floor, which was a dark brown hardwood floor matching the rest of the house. He had a queen sized bed, some dressers, a big closet, and a flat screen that sat on top of the dresser across from Levi's bed. There was one window in the room that was covered with dark curtains. 

Levi set his bags on the floor next to his closet, "you can set your bags down here, we can separate the closet later after we eat. I'm starving" was all he said while he watched Eren place his bags next to Levi's. "Kenny's room is down the hall, so we can make as much noise as we want. Sometimes he sleeps downstairs just because he can, and because the beer is in the fridge. He's a recovering alcoholic, so don't offer or suggest a beer, just wait till he gives you one" he instructed. 

Eren nodded his head, "got it, so are we staying in for the night?"

The raven nodded, "yeah, we'll eat then go to bed, tomorrow we'll eat here and then later on I think Erwin is working, I want you to meet him. Maybe Hange will stop over tomorrow morning and eat with us, I still have to text her that I'm home.. maybe I'll do that tomorrow morning" he pondered. 

"Let's head downstairs" Eren said with a smile, "I'm starving too"

Levi agreed and grabbed Erens hand, shutting his bedroom door behind them and led them downstairs. They walked into the living room and saw Kenny at the front door, paying the pizza boy and closing the front door. He turned to see his nephew and boyfriend, "I'll put something on the tv while we eat, we eat on the couch and y'all better not spill anything, ya here?"

"Yeah whatever" Levi said and rolled his eyes, he went to take the pizza from Kenny but stopped when his uncle shook his head. "What? I can get the plates"

"Nah runt, pick something on the tv, Eren and I can get the pizza." 

Levi looked between Eren and Kenny and shrugged his shoulders, "fine, whatever"

Kenny shoved Levi's shoulder, "relax, I'm not gonna kill him. Come on Eren, lets go to the kitchen" he instructed. 

Eren nodded and watched as Levi sat down on the couch, putting his feet on the in table and grabbing the remote. He smiled softly before following Kenny to the kitchen, which was just as big as his own kitchen back home in Bay City. "Your place is nice" he said as he watched Kenny put the pizza box down on the counter.

"Thanks, bought it myself years ago when I found out I would have Levi stay with me, just paid it off like three years ago I think" Kenny answered, "Grab a couple cups from the cabinet right above the sink, would ya? Levi probably just wants water, I got a filter of water in the fridge. Get me a beer, help yourself to whatever is in there. I stocked up yesterday."

"Cool" Eren said and he grabbed the glasses from the cabinet, shutting it and opening the fridge to grab the water filter. As he poured Levi's glass, he looked around a bit more. "How long have you been living here?"

"Lived in a more southern area before this, when I found out about Levi I bought this house. It's in the middle of the north and south, it's also cheap and in good condition. I moved in here a little over ten years ago" Kenny answered while he grabbed plates, putting pieces of pizza on them. "You were born and raised in Michigan?"

Eren nodded his head as he grabbed a beer from the fridge, and grabbed a two liter of coke, pouring it in the other empty glass for himself. "Yeah, it's pretty boring there, and cold."

Kenny nodded, "ah, yeah I figured. It's hot as a bitch down here, but everybody is pretty friendly. A lot of expressive people over here but you'll learn that soon, nobody really gives a fuck around here. Oh, and also" he turned around, "how did my nephew get that nasty looking bruise on his nose, Yeager?"

The younger boy could see how Levi and Kenny were related, they looked alike and talked alike, and most importantly, they acted alike. He could see Levi in Kenny, which was kind of intimidating. He wouldn't admit it, but Kenny wad a scary looking guy and he didn't want to be on the other end of a fight with the older Ackerman. "Uh.." he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Got into a fight!" Levi answered from the living room, "I can hear you two from here, don't scare him Kenny, damn"

"Just lookin out for ya kid!" Kenny shouted back, "now shut up, I'm talking!" he turned back to Eren, rolling his eyes. "Damn runt is always interrupting everything. Please tell me he didn't start the fight"

Eren shook his head and put the two liter back in the fridge. "Nah, someone else started it. Actually one of my bullies from high school, Levi defended me."

Kenny raised an eyebrow, "oh, well that's good. Levi scare them off?"

"Uh.. yeah" Eren rubbed the back of his neck, "well.."

The older Ackerman looked interested, "that's my boy, help me carry the drinks and plates out Eren, we'll bond more tomorrow." he said.

Eren nodded his head and grabbed some of the glasses and some plates, between the two of them they carried everything out to the table. Kenny went back to get some napkins and brought those out and they all sat down on the couch in the same way they were loaded up in the truck, Levi squished in the middle. The raven had picked a Stephen King movie called 1922, which was one of Levi's favorite dark movies. He thanked Eren when he was handed his plate and began eating. Kenny pressed play on the movie, leaning back and eating his pizza. 

Throughout the movie, Kenny peeked over at the couple. Eren had his arm around the back of the couch and his nephew was resting against his side, enjoying his pizza. He seemed relaxed, and it's not like Eren gave off any bad vibes or anything. He was always cautious when Levi brought someone back to the house, he only brought back Erwin and he never met Jean, but he could never be too careful. Everything Levi said about Eren seemed to be true, he liked to help and he was freaking tall. He seemed like a kind gentlemen, which made Kenny want to smile. He liked Eren so far, and it Levi seemed to relaxed around him, then Kenny would relax too.

When the movie was over about two hours later all three of them were almost asleep, Kenny stretched his arms. "I'm tired, I'll see you two tomorrow." he said and got off the ouch, ruffling Levi's hair.

"Kenny what the fuck" Levi glared as he sat up, looking up at his uncle. "Don't touch my hair."

"Yeah whatever, dumbass" Kenny rolled his eyes and waved dismissively. "Night y'all"

"Night Kenny" Levi called back and after Kenny walked up the stairs, he shook Erens shoulder. "Hey idiot, wake up"

Eren groaned and opened his eyes, "time s'it?"

Levi shrugged, "bed time, help me clean this up and we can go to bed" he said and stood up, holding his hand out to Eren, who gladly took it and stood up. "Grab the plates I got the glasses" he instructed.

The taller boy nodded and grabbed the plates, following his boyfriend into the kitchen. They loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and Levi threw the pizza box in the recycling bin along with the beer bottle. He wiped down the counters while Eren threw away the napkins. Once they were done, Eren and Levi quietly made their way up the stairs holding hands. Once again, Levi opened the door and once Eren was inside he shut it and locked it. "Let's get changed, I wanna sleep"

"Yeah me too" Eren said and he unzipped his bag that had his pajamas in it, he grabbed a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt, Levi did the same as he reached in his closet. They both changed into their pajamas and after plugging their phones in they crawled into bed. "Your uncle seems protective of you, I thought he would kill me in the kitchen earlier."

With a small smile, Levi responded. "he looks scary but hes actually not, could kick some serious ass though, helped me learn some self defense when he came back from rehab years ago"

Eren laid on his back and pulled Levi close to him, "oh?"

"He was an alcoholic and heroin addict" Levi explained, cuddling into Erens chest. "went into rehab for a year, then came back nice and sober. It was a big change"

"What did you do during that year?" Eren asked, carding his fingers through Levi's hair.

The raven fluttered his eyes shut, "Jean" was all he said, and that was enough for Eren to understand. After a couple seconds, Levi spoke again. "He took me in basically, paid for Kenny's rehab but Kenny doesn't know that. But.. it was worth it, Kennys better, that's all I wanted."

Eren frowned at that, he wonders how much his boyfriend sacrificed for other people before they met. He kissed the top of Levi's head, "I love you." he whispered.

"I love you too, goodnight Eren."

-

Bright an early the next morning, Levi woke up first between the two. He watched Eren sleep peacefully for a couple seconds before pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek and getting out of bed. Levi walked to his closet and put on some shorts and a shirt, alone with placing his sunglasses on his head and putting on some shoes. He grabbed his phone off the charger and sent Hange a quick text saying he was finally home from Michigan and unlocking his door, leaving his room and walking downstairs. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he got a text back from his best friend.

To : Levi Ackerman

From : Hange Zoe

_You're home?! Omg! I'll come by for lunch, we can cook something! I missed you and Eren! Be there around noon, bye short stack!_

Rolling his eyes, he sent Hange a quick text back and he walked to the kitchen where he heard some noises. He rounded the corner and greeted his uncle once he saw him, "hey"

He was making himself a bowl of cereal and he looked tired, "morning runt"

The shorter of the two held up his phone, "Hange is coming over for lunch, wants to cook for us and I'm assuming she wants me to help her like usual"

"That'll be good, I know she missed you" Kenny yawned and he poured milk into a bowl and he looked over at Levi, "so, Eren seems like a good guy"

A little smile ghosted over Levi's face as he grabbed some protein bars, "yeah, he is."

Kenny took a bite of his cereal and chewed, once he swallowed he spoke again. "He's no trouble right?"

"No, Kenny, Jesus" Levi took some orange juice from the fridge and poured it into two glasses. "He's not an asshole, he's a good kid. His family is nice too, dad is a doctor and moms a dentist so they have a lot of money, wants to be a math teacher. A gentlemen too"

His uncle nodded, "Yeah, just trying to make sure is isn't trouble. Did you get into a fight because of him?" he asked, he just wanted to cover everything. 

Levi shrugged and grabbed an apple, "To be fair, he told me not too. But you should've heard the shit these guys were saying to him. Apparently they bullied him in high school for being gay, you don't hear about any of that shit here and it pissed me off. So, I scared him a but but the big fuck landed a punch to my nose."

"Should've killed him" Kenny said casually.

"Eren said that if you get murdered in Michigan your body isn't likely to be found" Levi stated.

"Christ Levi, I was kidding" Kenny rolled his eyes and shoved Levi's shoulder playfully, taking another bite of his cereal right after. 

Levi hummed, "It's fine, Kenny" he said and he grabbed all the breakfast food and put it on a plate. "We're going to eat in my room and come down when Hange gets here, she'll probably just let herself in so" he grabbed the plate and the two glasses or orange juice.

Kenny eyed him, "spill that shit and you'll clean it up."

The younger stared up at him, "I clean up your messes, shut up" was all he said before turning around and making his way back to his room. He walked up the stairs carefully and then up to his bedroom, opening the door and walking quietly to his bed stand, setting the food and drinks on top of it. He crawled back onto his bed and turned his TV on for some background noise, grabbing a book from the shelf next to him. He looked over at Erens sleeping form, smiling a bit. He looked so happy while he slept, quiet too, it was nice. He just smiled and grabbed the apple from the plate, taking a bite as he opened the book and began to read until Eren decided to wake up, which wouldn't be for awhile. 

Time skip to another two hours later the younger boy decided to finally start to wake up. He groaned when he realized he wasn't holding his boyfriend and his eyes slowly fluttered open, blinking a couple times before he finally looked up to see Levi sitting next to him reading a book and sipping a drink. He yawned and wiped the dried drool from his face, that cause Levi to look down at Eren. "Morning" he greeted, putting a bookmark in his book and setting it aside. "How'd you sleep?"

Eren sighed softly and stayed cuddled in the warm blankets, looking up at Levi and smiled when he felt fingers card through his messy hair. "Slept good, what time is it?" he asked.

"Uh" Levi turned and grabbed his phone and checking the time, "eleven, Hange is coming over, her and I are going to cook lunch for the four of us today" he explained, he reached over Eren and handed his boyfriend a protein bar. "here, snagged a couple of these for you so you wouldn't have to head downstairs, and they won't fill you up either"

"Thank you" Eren smiled and unwrapped the bar, taking a bite He scooted closer to Levi and laid his head on Levi's lap while he continued to eat. "I feel so tired" 

Levi ran his fingers through Erens hair as he took a drink of his orange juice, "Kenny likes you" 

Eren looked up at him, "he does? Does that mean he'll stop trying to scare me?"

With a shake of his head, Levi responded. "No, sorry about your luck babe" 

He shrugged and looked at the TV, " what are you watching?"

"Wasn't really watching it, it's a show called Supernatural. It's just for background noise, we can watch what you want until Hange gets here."

"Nah, we can watch this, the guy with the long hair is hot."

"Agreed"

Hange finally changed into blue shorts and a dark yellow tank top, she had her hair in her classic ponytail and she wore a very expensive pair of sandles. She pulled into Levi's driveway and got out of her car, walking up the driveway and typing in the security code to the house, walking right in. She looked around and didn't see anyone, so she assumed Kenny was in his room or kitchen or something. Her real goal was to find Levi, so she turned and practically ran up the stairs. She reached Levi's room and was so excited she ran into the door, pain shot through her forehead fast and she groaned. "Ow!"

A shout came from the inside that she recognized as Levi, "Open the door you big headed idiot!"

"Sorry!" She laughed and she opened the door, walking into the bedroom and putting her hands on her hips. "You know whats gonna happen short stack."

Levi sat there on his bed and rolled his eyes, moving Erens head off of his lap and accepting his fate. "Watch out Eren"

Eren nodded his head and moved away, he wanted to ask why but Hange interrupted him with a loud squeal and cry of "Levi!". He watched as Hange practically jumped over him and onto Levi, who caught her with ease and accepted the overly excessive amount of affection from Hange, who hugged him tightly. "I missed ya short stack!"

"It was only for a week" Levi rolled his eyes and moved Hange so she was sitting in front of him, "Jeez, and do you have to jump so hard? One of these times you're gonna knee me in the dick."

Hange laughed and rolled her eyes, "oh please, I'm as light as a feather." she turned and looked at Eren, giving him a big smile. "Well hello there Eren, what's up? I missed ya too! How was Bay City you guys?"

Eren just waved at her with a polite smile while Levi responded, "It was cold as fuck, but I went ice skating for the first time, Eren got his nose pierced, I met his family, went to this soup shop that was really good, the town was small but nice. I liked it, it was small "

"Looks like you got hit Levi" Hange said with knitted eyebrows and she grabbed the ravens face, tilting it up to look at the side of his nose. "Who pissed you off this time?"

Levi rolled his eyes, "got into a fight, it's fine. How was your week?" he asked, changing the subject.

Hange shrugged her shoulders, leaning back and grabbing an apple from the plate, taking a bite. "It was okay, messed around with a couple parts and reading up on some research I want to have done before we go back to school in a week. Missed you both though, oh! What do you two want for lunch?"

Eren perked up at the mention of lunch, "what did you have in mind?"

"Ah, so the hot math boy speaks" Hange teased, making Eren blush. "Honey sesame orange chicken with some broccoli and cheese and some mashed potatoes and a bowl of rice on the side!'

"Sounds good" Eren smiled and leaned up on his elbow, "I don't know about you guys but I'm starving now."

Levi nodded and he got off the bed, offering Hange a hand who gladly took it and got up off the bed as well. He turned to look at Eren, "go ahead and get changed into some clothes, it's hot outside obviously so no Michigan clothes. We'll meet you downstairs in the kitchen if Kenny doesn't scare the shit outta you first." he teased and leaned down, pressing a kiss to Erens forehead. 

Eren smiled, "okay, be down soon"

Hange and Levi walked out of the room and when she shut the door behind her she turned to Levi, "Kenny scares him?"

The raven chuckled, "he thinks Kenny will hurt him or something."

"I think all you Ackermans are adorable." Hange fake swooned, going to boop Levi on the nose. 

He grabbed her hand, "don't. you. dare."

Hange smiled sheepishly, "love youuu.."

"Whatever"

While Hange and Levi finally began cooking down in the kitchen, music blasting on Hange's speaker she brought over and hooked up could be heard two houses down but she didn't care, Kenny had invited Eren out back to throw the football back and forth when Levi ratted Eren out by telling Kenny he played football in high school. It was hot out, around seventy degrees out which Eren could not believe. He had put on some sunglasses and Levi sat him down on the counter earlier and tied his hair back since it was getting longer. So now here he was, hair tied back and sunglasses practically falling off his face because of sweat, tossing a football back and forth between him and Kenny. 

He caught a hard toss from Kenny and tossed it back, "did you ever play?" he asked as he threw the football back.

With a swift catch, Kenny got in a stance to throw it again. "one season back in high school, like forever ago!" 

"Ah" Eren reached a hand out and caught the ball with one arm, "cool."

"Tell me a bit about yourself Eren" Kenny demanded as he caught the football with a small grunt.

"What do you wanna know?"

"Anything to keep you on my good side and to make sure you wont fuck with my nephew"

Eren caught another hard toss and held the ball tight between his side and his arm. "I'm guessing you already know whatever Levi's told you. Uh.. " he scratched the back of his neck as he thought of what to say. 

Kenny rolled his eyes, "oh fuck me, and here Levi told me you were social. Alright Yeager, just tell me you won't fuck around with my nephew."

"O-of course!" Eren agreed right away, "I won't"

"Are you afraid of me, son? Toss the ball back"

The brunette nodded and tossed the football back to Levi's uncle, "my bad!"

Kenny caught it with ease, "you don't have to worry about me hurtin' ya, boy, Levi can handle himself. I just gotta be the responsible guardian or whatever the fuck, but you're the second boyfriend I met. First was Erwin so he set a high standard, but I like ya. You're funny" he explained and tossed the ball back.

Eren nodded and caught it, taking a step back and tossing the ball back. "yeah, he seems pretty handy in that department."

"Tell me how that fight really went, Eren" Kenny said and caught the football, taking a step towards Eren with no intention of throwing it back to him. "Don't lie, it wasn't much of a fight was it?"

He sighed and shook his head, "One of the guys landed a punch to Levi's face, which is where the bruise came from. He went to land a hit on me and before I could even do anything Levi had him against the wall with a knife to his neck. I barely even saw him do it, he was fast."

Kenny had grabbed his thing of beer and sat on the stairs descending from the porch, he patted the spot next to him for Eren. Once the other man sat down he took a sip of his beer. "He's always been.. pretty protective of people he cares about." he began. "I assume he's told you about his ex?"

"Jean?" Eren asked, looking over at Kenny, taking a sip of his beer.

"Yeah, that asshole" Kenny rolled his eyes, "after I came home from rehab he was fucked up, getting into fights all the time and reeked of all these drugs and shit. Jean was the worst thing to ever happen to that kid"

Eren nodded his head and looked down at his bottle of beer, "yeah, so I've heard. In Levi's words, he was an abusive asshole"

"That he was" Kenny sighed to himself, running a hand through his hair. "changed the runt after that, I made him go through at home detox cause I couldn't afford rehab again. I made him switch schools to the north side and I haven't heard about Jean since, but I know that kid.. somethin' is still tying him down to the south side."

He frowned to himself as Kenny explained everything, an at home detox? Jeez, how bad was it? "You know that Jean hit him?"

Kenny frowned, "Sorry to break this to ya boy, but he did way more to my nephew than just hit him."

At that, the backdoor slammed open and Hange's voice bellowed throughout the backyard. "Oh Kenny and my little Eren! Lunch is ready to be served and if you don't like it I swear to the lord I will be very angry! And nobody likes an angry Hange! Come on in y'all, foods a ready and steamin'!"

The older man chuckled and shouted back, "comin'!" he turned back to Eren, who had a sad look on his face. "Hey" he shoved Erens shoulder softly. "He'll tell you everything when he's ready, but for now, pretend I didn't tell you about any of that, okay? Levi doesn't need to think about Jean now that he's with you anyway."

Eren nodded, "alright. Let's go before Hange gets mad."

Both of them stood up and walked up the stairs and over the porch, opening the back sliding door and stepping inside. It smelled amazing in there, they sat down at the table that was set. Kenny at the head of it, Levi and Hange across from each other and Eren across from Kenny. They all had plates full of orange chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli and cheese, a bowl of rice, and a chosen drink between the four. "This looks amazing" Eren commented, picking up a fork.

Hange gave him a big proud smile, "just wait till you taste it!"

They all dug into the dinner, Kenny and Eren both complimenting Hange and Levi on how good it tasted. Hange accepted the compliments with great pride whilst Levi just waved them off as he ate. They exchanged stories as they ate, Hange telling funny stories about her and Moblit and making the entire table laugh. Kenny brought up some funny stories about Hange and Levi, while Levi rolled his eyes and told a story about the time Eren fell off the bridge at Maria. Eren ended up telling a few stories about Levi' causing the raven to blush and change the subject to another story about him and Hange. 

To say the least, Eren was having fun. This wasn't like his usual family dinners, his family dinners were posh with wine and manners. But here.. here was different. Kenny bellowed out laughs and swung his beer around, Levi's vulgar words seemed more explicit now that he was home, and Hange and Levi ended up having a whole conversation in french that Kenny and Eren couldn't understand. So while the two of them linked up, Eren and Kenny got to know each other even better. 

Once Levi knew Kenny wasn't looking he spiked his own drink with some tequila in the bottom cabinet, Kenny didn't let him drink. While Levi did that, Hange covered for him and talked with Kenny. Eren wanted to laugh at the system that the two of them had, and he even signaled Levi to give him some too. The raven just laughed quietly and spiked Erens drink under the table while Kenny was talking to Hange. Kenny bellowed out another loud laugh at Hange and Eren laughed along with him, laughing louder when Kenny burped.

It was fun, this was the opposite of his family. There wasn't a mom or dad in charge or a sister who's face never changed expression, the table was filled with laughs and funny stories and everybody seemed comfortable with each other. This was.. this was fun. By the time dinner was over they all had rosey cheeks except Hange, and Levi could handle his liquor like a pro, Eren didn't have enough to get him drunk and Kenny wanted to watch tv, he had walked off about ten minutes ago to sit in the living room. That left Eren and Hange cleaning everything up while Levi got a call on his phone and went to the back porch to answer it.

The two of them were finishing up loading the dish washer when Levi came back in, his phone in his hands. "That was Erwin, he wants us to come by the diner later Eren. Hange you wanna go?"

She shook her head and turned, grabbing her purse and putting it around her shoulders. "Nope, not today lover. I'm going home and facetiming Moblit for a couple hours." 

Levi frowned, "Hange, come on"

"Sorry!" She smiled and ruffled Levi's hair and turned around, waving to Eren. "Bye guys! Was fun eatin' with ya! We should all hang out later on, oo maybe ask if we can sneak into that bar downtown again! I don't know if Erwin would want too since he's gonna be a cop, but maybe we can convert little Armin!"

"You're fucking crazy, bye shitty glasses."

"Bye!" She smiled and the next thing they knew, Hange Zoe had left the building. 

Eren watched her leave and then turned to Levi, who was rubbing his forehead. He walked to Levi and grabbed his hand, bringing it up and pressing a kiss to his knuckles. "How about we chill for a bit before we go hang out with Erwin, huh? You look tired."

"I always look like that" Levi mumbled and he leaned forward, "if you carry me upstairs I'll give you head"

The taller boy laughed and shook his head, "you don't have to reward me with head every time I do something for you, I'll carry ya and we're gonna relax, okay?"

Levi nodded and held his arms up, yawning. "now"

Eren rolled his eyes, "course princess"

With a small protest from Levi, Eren leaned down and grabbed Levi by the thighs, picking him up and holding him carefully. He felt Levi wrap his arms around his neck and tuck his face into Erens neck, he could feel the ravens eyelashes flutter against his neck and he couldn't help but smile. He silently carried Levi up the stairs and into his bedroom, shutting the door behind them. He kicked his shoes off and even took Levi's shoes off, tossing them all to the floor. He took the sunglasses off of his and Levi's heads and set them down next to the bed, and finally laid down on the bed. He laid down on his back, pulling the raven on top of him. "You asleep?" he asked, rubbing his hand through Levi's hair. 

"No, just like you taking care of me" Levi mumbled into his neck.

Eren chuckled, "course" he smiled and grabbed the TV remote. "Criminal minds?"

"Uh hu"

-

"Is there anything I should know before meeting this Erwin guy?" Eren asked as Levi drove them to the nearby diner where the guy worked.

Levi thought for a moment before giving Eren a teasing smile. "his eyebrows are huge"

Eren rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat, "you're an asshole."

The raven laughed, "don't tell me you're afraid if meeting my ex-boyfriend, and my now best friend?"

"Kidna" Eren mumbled, "You told me he was big as fuck so excuse me for being nervous"

"Oh please" Levi smiled, "it's cause him and I fucked, isnt it?"

Eren looked down at his lap, "a little bit.. did you guys do it all the time?"

Levi shrugged, "Multiple times every day" 

The younger boy frowned deeper, "was it.. was it good?"

Knitting his eyebrows together, Levi peeked over at Eren as he parked in a parking spot next to Erwins car. "Eren, you have nothing to worry about. Yes, Erwin and I are ex's but we never actually loved each other like that. So stop with this jealous shit" he shut the car off and turned to his boyfriend, "look at me."

Eren sighed and looked over to Levi to see him already looking him in the eyes. "hm?"

Levi frowned, a look he had on his face constantly. He reached a hand out and cupped Erens cheek, rubbing his cheek softly with his thumb. "I don't know what's gotten into you Yeager, but if makes you feel better, I don't want anyone else's cock inside me or in my mouth besides yours"

The younger boy rolled his eyes, "Jesus Christ Levi, I thought this was going to be some encouraging speech" he moved his head out of Levi's hand. 

"It was more encouraging in my head" Levi let out a chuckle, "oh come on Eren, don't be so stiff, you're in California, sex and gays and success is everywhere my lovely boyfriend" He smiled, "let's go meet my ex"

"Lovely" Eren rolled his eyes and they both got out of the car. Levi was quick to grab his hand and wrap his arms around his shoulder, intertwining their fingers. Levi opened the door and there was a loud ding from the bell attached to the top of the door. The place was larger than the diners back home, so he doesn't know why everyone called this small. The interior was dark brown and white and bright red walls, booths on the side and cute little window seats. There was indie music playing on the speakers, and they had a bar. 

"Is that the infamous Levi Ackerman entering this diner?" Erwins voice rang out. Eren watched as a huge blonde guy came from behind the counter and made their way over to him, his eyes widened and he got nervous until Levi left his arms. "wait, Levi-"

"Hey you big fuck!" The raven left Erens side so quick and ran into, who he assumed was Erwins, arms. The big blonde man hugged Levi close to him, and they talked to themselves for a bit. Eren watched them closely, jealousy building up in his gut as he watched how close Levi seemed to be with this guy. They've kissed before, seen each other naked, fucked, Levi probably gave him head around the school hallways. It made his blood boil, he's never been jealous before. 

Levi pulled away from Erwin and walked back to Eren, wrapping his arm around Erens and pointing to Erwin. "Eren, this big fuck right here is Erwin and Erwin, this hot piece of ass right here is my boyfriend Eren"

Erwin smiled politely and held his hand out to Eren to shake, "Nice to meet you Eren"

Ignoring the jealousy, Eren put on a polite smile and shook Erwins hand. "Nice to meet you too Erwin"

"Now that we're all acquainted" Levi turned to Erwin, "Can you make me my drink and can I get one of those cake pop things? Get Eren one too, and get Eren a boboa drink, he's never had one"

Erwin pretended to salute, "done and done my good sir" he said jokingly. "Seat yourselves" he turned around to get behind the counter. 

"Don't forget to clock out for your lunch, you fuck head!" Levi called out.

The blonde continued to walk, aiming a middle finger at his friend. 

Levi smiled and looked up at Eren, leading him to the booths on the side of the wall that also had a window view, the whole building was glass except for one wall. He sat down next to Eren on one side of the booth, the other side being reserved for Erwin. He then turned to look at Eren, "it's nice that you're jealous, shows that you love me, plus it's kinda hot"

Eren leaned his elbows on the table and looked at Levi, rolling his eyes. "You're unbelievable."

The raven leaned over and pressed a kiss to Erens lips, but when he didn't feel his boyfriend kissing back he pulled away and his eyes slimmed down into a glare. "The fuck?"

He sighed, "You can do that out in public here?"

"Eren, I could run around wearing a rainbow flag and nobody would give a flying fuck" He smiled and moved Erens arm to wrap around his shoulders, Levi leaned into his side and laid his head on Erens shoulder. "This is Cali, babe. It's fine, maybe I should take you to a gay bar or something to get your panties in a twist"

Eren smiled and kissed Levi's head, "okay"

Levi hummed, "Don't be jealous of Erwin, Eren, he has a boyfriend and we honestly never loved each other. We're better off as friends, alright?"

The younger boy nodded, "alright alright"

The two of them talked for a little while longer before Erwin finally got back with their order, setting the drinks and cake pops down in front of them and his own plate of food and chosen drink on his side. He sat down and took a drink of his coke, swallowed and looked at the two of them. "So, it's nice to meet the famous Eren Yeager I've been hearing about, has Levi put you in your place yet?"

"Erwin what the fuck" Levi rolled his eyes, "Kenny already almost scared him off, stop trying to be like that or I'll insult you till the point where you cry."

"Oh, I'm sure you would" Erwin said with a chuckle, he began to eat. 

Eren looked between the two as he took a sip of his drink, looking down surprised. "Wow, this is good"

"Spiked it a bit" Erwin said with a smirk, "on the house"

Levi sipped his drink, "Don't worry Eren, all of Erwins on the house drinks are spiked. Mine is too, but not that much. He hides the liquor under the cabinet, we used to fuck shit up in here when I worked here"

Erwin laughed, "After hours Levi would get so drunk he'd climb on the counter."

"Oh yeah? And one time you had too much tequilas and covered our security cameras so the _spies wouldn't see us_ "

Eren almost spit out his drink at that, chuckling softly. "wow"

"Don't judge" Erwin laughed, "so, tell me, how'd you meet this little asshole?"

"Watch it Erwin, I'll tear your eyes out"

"Even if I made your food?"

Levi rolled his eyes and leaned his head back on Erens shoulder, making himself comfortable. Eren wrapped his arm around Levi's shoulder and held him close, looking back at Erwin. "uh, met right before school started. Started hanging out more and here we are now."

Erwin cocked his head to the side at the explanation. "No, how'd you cuff him? Levi was pretty head strong about the fact that he didn't want to date anybody, so what's so special about you, Eren? How do I know you won't be an asshole?"

"Okay, dude, no offense" Eren spoke up after drinking, "I just had to deal with Levi's uncle who looks like he'll kill me if I give him the wrong look, I don't have the energy to deal with whatever protective attitude shit you have going on. If something happens between Levi and I, he can handle himself just fine for fucks sake, have you seen him with a knife? Jesus."

Levi and Erwin exchanged looks and it was silent for a second, and Erwin finally broke out into an at ease smile and leaned back in his seat. Levi seemed to relax too, leaning into Erens arm and a small smile ghosting on his face. Eren looked between them, confused. "What just happened?"

"I like you" Erwin said and sipped his coke, "You found a good one Levi."

"I told you, you fucking idiot" Levi laughed and grabbed his cake pop, eating it. 

"Uh.."

"Sorry about being an asshole, Eren. You're the first guy Levi said he's loved since I've known him, so I had to test you a bit." Erwin gave him a polite smile, "now, let me tell you a little bit about my good friend Levi here."

-

They finished eating in twenty minutes, and for the rest of Erwins lunch break they told funny stories and laughed. Eren and Erwin actually got along just fine, exchanging numbers and social medias and everything. Since the manager of the store was also on break, Levi was free to sneak behind the counter and raid the alcohol Erwin kept down there. By the end of the hour, Eren got Levi to fork over his car keys and convince the raven to get on his back for a piggy back ride. Erwin walked the two out, holding the door for Eren as he carried Levi outside. Once they were outside, they faced each other.

"You're not so bad, Yeager. You'll take care of him, I assume?" Erwin asked.

Eren just smiled and kept a tight hold on Levi, the ravens face was buried in Erens neck and his arms wrapped around his tan neck, crossed in front of his chest. He kept a tight grip on Levi's thighs as he spoke, "I will, I'll text you when we're home, alright?"

Erwin smiled and nodded, "alright, take care"

"Bye you big fuck" Levi muttered from Erens neck, "let's go Eren, I want a nap."

"That's all you ever do nowadays." Eren commented, pressing a kiss to Levi's temple and looked back at Erwin. "Bye Erwin"

"Bye" 

Eren turned and walked back to Levi's car, using the remote starter to start the car and blast the air conditioning. He unlocked the doors as well, walking to the side and setting Levi in the passengers seat. He shut the door and walked to the other side, getting in the drivers seat and sticking the key in the ignition. He looked at Levi, who was scrolling through his phone. "You good?"

Levi shrugged, "Just tipsy, get us home"

"Your wish is my command" Eren sighed.

He drove them home, which didn't take very long. Pulling into the driveway, he turned the car off and got out. He shoved the keys in his pocket and rounded the side of the car, opening the door and grabbing Levi out. "I'm only allowing you to carry me because my feet hurt."

Eren let out a breath as he kicked Levi's door shut, "whatever" was all he said as they walked to the front door, "type in your code or tell me"

At that, Levi lifted his head and typed in the code to the house and the door opened. He buried his face back into Erens neck and closed his eyes.

The brunette shrugged and walked inside, kicking the door shut behind him. Kenny's truck wasn't there so he was probably out, so Eren took them both upstairs and into Levi's room. "Change or sleep in clothes?" he asked Levi.

"Mm, change"

He put Levi down and they changed into their pajamas fairly quickly and climbed into bed. Levi laid on his side and Eren pressed up against his back side, wrapping his arm around the raven. He kissed the back of Levi's head, "I love you, I'm glad I finally met Erwin."

"Glad he met you too, he's so protective of me it drives me nuts, I can handle my own." Levi mumbled quietly. 

"I know, I've witnessed it" Eren chuckled, "Goodnight midget"

"Night fuckhead"


	19. Digging Into The Past

Warm weather surrounded Long Beach, California. It was a solid almost sixty degrees outside, many people were outside with their children or on dates. Whilst everyone else was at the beach or at a bar, five teenagers were sitting inside the local diner on the table outside. It had a nice umbrella that provided shade for all five of them, but they still all had sunglasses on. Erwin was sitting back with his drink, arm around Armins chair while they ate their lunch, Hange was texting Moblit on her phone while keeping conversation with her friends, and that left Levi and Eren. Levi was sitting on his chair with his legs on Erens lap, scrolling througb social media as Eren fed him some of his meal. 

They've been out for about an hour now, Eren finally met Armin and the two of them got along great. The two of them talked to each other most of the time, finding out that they had a lot of stuff in common. Both of them liked the same music and art and everything, they even watched the same youtubers. Most of the lunch was spent with the two of them geeking out about someone on social media, and eventually Hange joined in on the conversation when youtubers were brought up. She was loud, so they had to shush her a couple times. 

During all the chit cat, Erwins eyes floated over to Levi who was silent most of the time besides when something peaked him interest. He frowned and tried to get the ravens attention, but he was in a whole other world and not paying attention to anything but his fingernails and the food that Eren was hand feeding him a couple of times. Grabbing his phone from his pocket, he sent Levi a quick text and waited for his response. 

To : Levi Ackerman

From : Erwin Smith

_Hey, everything okay? You're awfully quiet today._

He was picking at another fingernail when he felt his phone buzz, Levi looked down at the phone in his lap and saw a text message from Erwin. Levi frowned, why was this fuck texting him when they were sitting right across from each other. He leaned in and accepted the grape Eren fed to him and texted Erwin back, holding in a small sigh. Of course he would pick up on his acting today, Erwin knew Levi like the back of his hand, it's why they're best friends. 

To : Erwin Smith

From : Levi Ackerman

_Just got a lot on my mind, kinda wanting to go home._

Erwins phone buzzed and he picked it up, frowning at the response Levi gave him. He sent another text.

To : Levi Ackerman

From : Erwin Smith

_Are you and Eren alright? You guys seemed fine the other day?_

The raven leaned against Erens arm that was wrapped around his chair as he read Erwins response, he looked at Eren who continued to talk passionately about whatever youtuber now with Hange and Armin. He watched Erens eyes light up and the smile spread across his face, he hated that he wasn't in a good mood. His personality was so gloomy compared to Erens, he hated it sometimes. He texted Erwin back.

To : Erwin Smith

From : Levi Ackerman

_We're fine, it's other family stuff. Can you find an excuse for us to go talk somewhere? Maybe bring Hange?_

Erwin read over the text message a couple times before he shot Hange a quick text saying to excuse herself to go to the bathroom, once she got the message she stood up and grabbed a tampon from her purse, and nobody asked any questions as she made her way inside. The blonde man waited a couple minutes before grabbing the finished plates, "Levi, you mind helping me bring these inside?"

"Yeah sure" Levi said and he pecked Eren on the cheek as he stood up, grabbing his and Erens plates and following Erwin inside. 

They walked inside the diner and put the plates on the counter, and were met with Hange as she walked over to them. "Hey, is everything alright Erwin? What's up with this secret best friend meeting?" she asked, concern showing on her face as she looked in between the two boys. 

Neither of the two boys said anything until Erwin let out a sigh, "Levi.."

The ravens frown deepened and he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the wall. Suddenly his feet became the most interesting thing in the room. "Kenny gave me this box my mom wanted me to have when I turned eighteen, but he gave it to me like two months ago."

Hange raised an eyebrow, "wait, what? Your mom, she died when you were seven right?"

"At the hands of her boyfriend, yes" Levi reluctantly answered her question, "he's been bothering me non stop to open this box since I got back and last night he kept telling me how much mom would be proud of me and shit but I.. I don't even know if I want to open it. Maybe I should just burn it, or toss it in the trash-"

"Hey, no, don't do that" Erwin shook his head, putting a hand on Levi's shoulder causing the smaller man to look up at him. "Levi, I think it's wise of you to open that box soon. It's bothering you, and you obviously love your mother and miss her, when was the last time you visited her grave?"

It was silent for a second, Hange spoke up. "..shorty?"

Levi sighed, "I don't think I ever visited her grave"

Erwin nodded, already knowing that answer. "I figured. Why don't you open that box and just see what's in there? Maybe go see her grave too? Make today about your mom?"

"I know Eren wouldn't mind." Hange said with a kind smile, "Besides, it's good to have answers from at least one parent. Please open it, Levi? I don't like seeing you sad"

She didn't call him Levi unless something was wrong or he was upset, and Levi let out a small smile at that. "okay, but can you guys do me a favor and separate Armin and Eren so we could leave? I only got three hours of sleep last night and I want to turn in early."

"Three hours?" Erwin asked curiously. 

Levi shrugged, "had a lot to think about."

Hange nodded her head, "yeah, let's send you and Eren off on your way"

The three of them walked back outside, Erwin going to Armin and Levi going to Eren. The taller boy looked up at Levi, now noticing the frown on his boyfriends face, "everything alright?" he whispered, grabbing the ravens hand and standing up, towering over him. "Vi?"

He looked up at Eren and nodded his head, "I want to go home" was all he said. 

Eren decided not to question it and he looked towards the other three of his and Levi's now shared friends, "Hey guys, Levi and I are gonna get going, we'll see you guys later!"

With a quick exchange of goodbyes from everybody, Eren and Levi went back to the ravens car. They got inside and Levi started it, turning on the car and then the air conditioning. It was silent most of the ride back home, not even the radio was on as Levi drove the both of them home. He pulled up into his driveway and shut the car off, getting out and shutting the door behind him. Eren frowned and got out of the car after Levi, shutting the door and jogging up to catch up to his boyfriend. "Levi, what's up?" he asked, concern hinted in his voice. 

The shorter man just beckoned for Eren to follow him once he typed in the security code to his home and he took a quick left to go up the stairs of his house. Eren obeyed and followed his boyfriend up the stairs, down the hall, and into his bedroom. He was about to ask another question when Levi knelt down on the ground, pulling out a box from under his bed. "What's that?" Eren asked.

Setting the box on the bed, Levi got up and sat down on the bed, pulling the tool box on his lap. "She died when I was seven" he said quietly. 

It took Eren a moment to realize who Levi was talking about, but when it finally clicked he sat down next to Levi on the bed. "Your mom?" he asked softly.

Levi nodded his head and traced the lettering on the tool box, "The man she was with, he was an abusive asshole. We... we weren't allowed to leave the house. I wasn't allowed to know who my father was. Everyday I was trapped inside that damn house, never saw the beach or made any friends. My mom got the worst of it all, the guy she was with... he hated me. He hated that my mom had a son, before he would touch me.. she would always distract him with other things."

Eren listened closely, his heart breaking with each word spoken by the older boy. "Oh God.. Levi.."

He held the box close to him as he continued, "she started dating him when I was just a toddler apparently, I can't remember that far back but I know it was before I was five years old. He was a big guy, I don't think I'll ever forget his face. He told me he would never love me, but I was okay with that because I had my mom.. ya know?" Levi looked over at Eren, "she loved me, I never doubted she did but.. she started to stay in her room more, and I heard screaming come from her room often. He beat the shit out of her Eren, every day."

"Hey.." Eren wrapped his arm around Levi's waist comfortingly, "it's alright, slow down if you need too."

Levi immediately rested his head upon Erens shoulder, "he killed her in front of me, Eren."

Erens eyes widened, "holy shit"

"Stabbed a couple times, made me sit and watch. He was wasted, he shot up that night too. He ran out as soon as she was dead, and I was left with her dead body for days until cops showed up when the neighbors didn't see me check the mail for a couple days." He spoke dully, no moisture shown in his eyes. The memory was so numb to him, he barely ever thought about it anymore, it almost seemed like it was someone elses story when he tells it because he feels nothing when he talks about it. For so long, he was supposed to feel nothing.

"Oh god, Levi" Eren kissed the top of his head, "I'm so sorry you had to witness that at such a young age, I couldn't even imagine.. and you were seven?"

"Almost eight" Levi whispered, "this box.. my mom hid it under the floor board because that's where she would hide important things, I ended up doing the same thing. She put stuff in here for me, Kenny gave it to me about two months ago. He's been wanting me to open it but I'm a little freaked out to do it, I guess"

Eren rubbed Levi's shoulder, "open it" he said calmly. "After everything your mom went through, she put in the effort of putting this together. You should open it, Vi, it's what she would have wanted."

The raven continued to look at the box and he traced his fingers over it. He leaned back into Erens side as he popped the lock on each side of the tool box, letting out a breath of air he didn't know he was holding when the locks opened so easily. He took a glance at his boyfriend, who gave him an encouraging nod, and he looked back down at the box dully. Without an ounce of fear, he opened the tool box. 

On the inside, there were a couple select things, but what stuck out was a bright yellow envelope with Levi's name on it written in cursive, a blood stain was on the corner of it but Levi tried his best to not notice it. He picked that up first, "that's my moms handwriting" he observed, he tore the envelope open and it revealed a couple notebook pages filled with Kuchels cursive handwriting. His hands started to tremble, "Eren.."

"You can do this, babe" the younger whispered softly, watching over Levi cautiously. "Go ahead and read it, I'm right here."

Levi nodded his head and he looked down at the notebook paper in his hands, finally beginning to read the last words he had from his mother. He read it allowed so Eren could know what the note said. 

_Dear my little levi,_

_Hi levi, if you’re reading this, hopefully uncle kenny gave this to you, but it unfortunately means that i have passed away due to my own mistakes. But hi honey, its mommy, its mama. I hope you never read this, but i have to write this just in case. You’re too young to understand, my little levi, but when you’re older i hope you will. You see, right now is a very hard time for mama. I have my own demons I’m batteling, and honey, it includes drugs. Addiction runs in our family baby, so promise me you’ll never ever try them. Don’t even get a taste. Please, I beg of you._

_You’re sleeping right next to me right now, you’re snoring so loud its annoying, but you have a cold. You’re seven years old right now baby, your hair is getting long and I haven’t taken you to get it cut recently. It’s in a cute little bun, and you’re cuddled up with a pillow. You look so cute I don’t want to even wake you up and disturb your peace. All day today we played with your tool box, I taught you how to play jacks today and you loved it. You’re so good at numbers Levi, you know my phone number by heart, and you know our address. You know 911, you know how to spell your first and last name, you’re so smart honey. You would rather be doing your homework than going outside to play in the yard, which I will never understand because you're only seven. You’re such a good boy Levi, my heart breaks for you if you ever read this letter._

_Like I said earlier, things are very hard right now. I don’t want to sugar coat it for you baby, but my life is hard right now. The man I’m with right now, he doesn’t care about me. He’s using me to get him drugs, and I think that I am realizing this too late. He’s gone now, said he was going on a grocery run and for me to clean the entire house. I’m not doing that though, I can feel how unhealthy i am and i need to write you this, even if you never read this. I'm asking as my last wish for Kenny to let you read this once you turn eighteen so you're old enough to understand._

_Levi, you were born on christmas, you were my sweet boy. I’ve done everything I can to protect you, I really have. You’re.. You’re the only person I can rely on. I’ve been a prisoner in my own home for months now and I can’t take it anymore. I’m so sorry for everything you have had to see because I let this man walk all over us. He beats me Levi, he’s raped me, he’s done everything. I hate him, but he’s too strong. I’m going to try and run away from him tonight Levi, with you. You’re coming with me._

_There are so many things I want to tell you, like who your father is and why I never went to the police about the man who is holding us captive in our own home. I want to tell them, believe me honey, I do but.. Things have gotten more complicated than before, and for that I am so sorry._

_I’m crying as I write this, my hands shaking. I’m sorry if the ink splatters, I can barely write this without sobbing. You’re sleeping so peacefully next to me, unaware of anything that will be happening tonight. You think everything is going to be okay, and it will, mama will keep you safe. My sweet little levi, I will always keep you safe. I’ve kept you safe for this long, I can keep doing that. I just need you to trust me to keep you safe._

_I’m going to be honest Levi, I think this guy is your father. I was a prostitute seven years ago, before I got pregnant with you. If I can just sample his blood and yours.. But he won’t let me. He doesn’t want a son, honey, he doesn’t like children. I’m so sorry you couldn’t have a better father, a better home, a better something. I've been fighting for so long baby, you're my pride and joy so even if I don't make it out of this, I promise you'll be safe and he won't hurt you._

_In case you ever want to know who your father is, there are two men that I can think of. The man with us right now, or another man who is currently serving life in federal prison for murder. I'm sorry you have two dead beat parents honey, I really am. The man I'm with now, his name is Austin Ripely, he's thirty five right now and I assure you that you'll always remember his face. In case you ever want to meet him in prison or any time in the future, that's his name. I know how curious you can be, almost to the point where it's dangerous._

_I have to finish writing this soon, there's a flash drive in this box of some home videos I recorded from over the years. I watch them sometimes, just to smile. I have to go now honey, I love you with my whole heart. Tonight I will make a decision for us, hopefully a good one. Please forgive me for putting you through all of this, Levi._

_You're mother, who loves you so much,_

_Kuchel Ackerman._

The letter was long, almost too tiring to read out loud. It was dreadful as each word from the page left Levi's mouth. Once he finished reading, he was quiet for awhile, his mind whirling with thoughts about his mom. This had to be written the day she got murdered, he remembers trying to sneak out of the window but they were caught and his mother was killed in front of him. This all happened the same day, but he can barely remember half of it. His whole life was shit, nothing good has happened to him even from when he was a child. This was all too much, it was overwhelming him. Levi was going to lose it.

But he couldn't, his mom wouldn't want him too. She never lost her cool with him when he was a child, even when he smeared paint on the wall of the house. He took a minute of just breathing and staring into nothing, tracing over the ink droplets that were streaked across the paper. It looked like tear droplets had fallen on the paper, and thats what smeared the ink. She was crying as she wrote this, he observed, all while he was sleeping next to her. 

Eren waited a couple minutes after Levi had finished reading, his eyes followed along as Levi read. His arm was still wrapped around Levi's waist as he listened. He couldn't imagine, no wonder his boyfriend was so reserved from the world and untrusting to men. With what happened with Jean, and now all of this.. he didn't know if he could be emotionally rational like Levi was. He peeked at Levis face, which was now dull and full of sorrow. "Vi.."

"She tried to get away" Was what Levi whispered, he folded the letter back up and put it in the envelope. "Austin, he caught us that night. I was too slow and.. he killed her in front of me. When the police came, I never gave a statement. They never found him. And it's all because of me.. if I would've just said something.."

He frowned and kissed Levi's temple comfortingly, "Do you want to find him?"

Levis face turned into a glare and he snarled, "If I ever do, I'll kill him."

"Okay, easy tiger" Erens arm tightened slightly around Levi, rubbing the ravens side. "What else is in the box?"

The raven looked down at the box again, setting the letter beside him on the bed. He reached into the box and grabbed a plastic bag, which revealed a set of jacks and he smiled softly. Him and his mom used to play jacks all the time. He grabbed another plastic bag that had pictures in it and he unzipped that bag, looking inside. "No way" he whispered softly and looked at Eren, "these are my baby pictures"

Eren smiled at that, holding his hand out, "Can I look at them?" he asked.

Levi nodded and handed the pictures to Eren as he looked back in the box, he picked out some coloring sheets that had his name on it. It was just disney characters, from mulan to cinderella. He set those aside and picked up something else and his eyes widened, his original birth certificate and his original social security card. Levi set those aside and reached down, grabbing the flash drive. _Ackermans think alike,_ Levi thought to himself, referring to his own flash drive he now moved to under his floor board behind his bed next to his burner phone. 

"You were a cute baby" Eren commented while he slipped through the photos, "Your mom is beautiful too Vi, you're like a carbon copy of her it's kind of freaky."

That caught levi's attention and he looked over at the pictures, there was some of him and his mom when he was first born, some of Levi in the bath, others on his birthday eating cake, a couple selfies of him and Kuchel together. There were some of just Kuchel that were kind of blurry, but on the back she wrote that Levi took them but couldn't hold the camera steady. He just smiled softly, "It's kind of weird, I don't remember us looking so alike."

Eren smiled at that, "My mom and I are like twins, so are you and your mom. That's kinda cool Vi, she's beautiful. Now I know where you get your good looks from."

Levi rolled his eyes at that. "She looks happy in ever picture" he observed.

"That's cause she was with you in the pictures, babe" Eren said, "from the sound of it, she loved you more than anything else. She did everything for you, so of course she's happy in every picture."

"Heres the flash drive" Levi said, holding up the pink flash drive. "she's smart, putting stuff on here and hiding it away. Great minds think alike I guess" 

Eren raised an eyebrow, "what do you mean?"

"Nothing" Levi shook his head, "Um.. you wanna watch this with me?"

The other just smiled, "course Vi, get your laptop, I'll put this stuff back in the tool box."

Nodding his head, Levi got off the bed and went to his dresser to get his laptop. While he did that, Eren was careful to put everything back in the tool box the way Kuchel had put it in there years ago. He finished and set the box back under Levi's bed, shoving it down there and looking back up once the bed dipped again. He looked up to see Levi sitting back on the bed, laptop now resting on his legs with the computer turning on. 

He moved so he sat next to the raven, wrapping his arm back around Levi's waist. Levi wasted no time to plug the flash drive in and accept it onto the laptop, going to his documents and clicking on what was labeled as Flash Drive USB, and waiting for it to load. Eren could sense the tension radiating off of Levi and he rubbed his arm, trying to comfort him to the best of his ability, but Eren was also just as curious. 

Once the folder popped up, there was countless videos of Levi and Kuchel. From ones labeled Newborn Levi Moments, to Levi potty training, and his birthdays. Some of them had his back yard in the back ground, others were the inside of the house. Some of them had both him and Kuchel in them, hugging and big smiles on their faces. Levi scrolled through the numerous videos, his hand becoming shaky as he scrolled. He came across a folder that just said goodbye on it and he clicked on it, and soon a video loaded on the full screen. 

It was his mother sitting on the couch, her silky black hair down like it was just blown dry. She was in her pajamas, a white sweater and she looked tired. Levi looked no more than five years old, his head was in Kuchels lap and he was sound asleep, face buried in her stomach and he was in his favorite batman pajama set, his hair in a bun. Levi sucked in a breath when Kuchel began to speak, a smile on her face. 

_"Hey Levi"_ She whispered, staring into the camera. _"You just fell asleep, he's not home right now so I have time to make this. But guess what you did today? You can count over a hundred, you even started writing. You learned cursive today at only five years old, you're so smart. I'm sorry I can't actually send you to school hun, I wish I could. But most five year olds don't know what you know, you're too smart for them"_ She smiled, _"I hope you grow up to do something amazing, make enough money to get out of the south side. God, maybe you can go somewhere so nice? Maybe Paris? Our family is french and I've been trying to teach you some since you know so much english."_

 _"Mm, mommy?"_ Levi watched as his five year old self woke up, _"momma?"_

 _"Right here honey"_ Kuchel smiled and pointed to the camera, _"Look, it's us"_

Little five year old Levi's head lifted and peeked at the frame, his hair in a messy bun with a lot of fly aways and sleepy half-lidded eyes. Eren cooed, "Aw, you were such a cute kid" 

_"Woah it is! Mommy there is you! And that is me!"_

Kuchel smiled and kissed Levi's head as she moved him into his lap, _"yeah honey, that's us"_

 _"I'm so small"_ Five year old Levi pouted, _"Why won't I be big momma?"_

_"Because you're just a small person, and I am a big person. You gotta stay little Levi, so you can sneak under your bed in case theres trouble"_

_"I stay small, protect mommy"_

A sad smile covered Kuchels face, " _and I protect you honey."_

It was silent on the video for a couple seconds as Levi got distracted and played with his moms hair, putting it over his lip to make a mustache. Eren laughed a little, "Levi, you're so cute. Look at you! My gosh, aww"

Levi blushed and looked over at Eren, "shut up, idiot"

Eren smiled and kissed Levi's forehead, "no, I wanna keep watching. This is cute. And later I want to watch those potty training videos."

The raven let out a small chuckle but that ultimately stopped when there was a knocking noise coming from the video that was still playing. Both boys looked down and watched only the beginning of something dangerous unfold. They watched as both Kuchel and Levi went silent at the sound of the knocking, Levi beginning to cry, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. _"Mommy, mommy no, no no no no, momma-"_

 _"Levi, honey"_ Kuchels arms wrapped around him, her hands cupping Levi's cheeks. Her face was calm, but her eyes showed panic. _"I need you to breath"_

The cries coming from the five year old were loud and terrifying, _"I dont want him home momma, I wanna go, can we leave? I-I wanna go. I wanna leave. Lets leave mommy!"_

 _"Levi!"_ She raised her voice, _"Go hide under your bed honey, mommy will be alright. You have to hide and let mommy take care of everything, okay?"_

Five year old Levi nodded his head, still crying. He slid off the couch and ran so he wasn't in the frame anymore. Kuchel must have forgotten about the laptop being on as she got up from the couch. Erens arm tightened around Levi's smaller frame as they could now only hear the audio of what was happening. There was the sound of a door opening and there was small mindless chatter between the two adults, which soon turned into an argument once the man, Austin, started to yell.

_"I told you to have this shitty house cleaned by the time I got back and what were you doing? Sitting around with that fucking runt?!"_

That voice haunted Levi, he felt his entire body freeze. He couldn't move. This was the man who later on murdered his mother.

_"You have no right to call him that. His name is Levi!"_

_"I don't give a damn, Kuchel. Maybe I should go say hi to little Levi then, huh? Is he happy to know I'm home?"_

_"Do not touch him! ah!"_

There was a loud smacking sound and a body hitting the ground, a small yell coming from Kuchel. Footsteps were heard coming closer to the laptop and soon the computer was grabbed and slammed shut, but before it was shut there was another shattering scream coming from his mother.

Levi lost it and he slammed his laptop shut, tossing it off his lap and it hit the floor hard. His hands were shaking as anger coursed through his body, he remembered his mother screaming and hearing it again.. he didn't know what to think. All he knew was that it was all he heard growing up, he hasn't heard it in so long. Before Levi could do anything else, Eren stepped in and grabbed both of Levi's hands. "Levi?"

"I can't" Levi shook his head and looked at Eren, his face was turned into a glare with a tight frown on his face. "If I find him I'll fucking kill him, I'll kill him.. I..."

His boyfriend watched as Levi slowly fell apart right in front of him and he was quick to swoop in, pulling the raven into his lap. Levi wrapped his legs around Erens waist, his arms around Erens neck and buried his face into the younger mans shoulder. Eren shushed him as he felt Levi shake against him, "it's alright Vi"

"I'll kill him" Levi breathed shakily against Erens neck, "I'll burn him alive, I'll skin him, I'll stab him like he stabbed my mom-"

"Levi, hey, I need you to calm down a little bit for me, alright?" Eren shushed, kissing the side of Levi's head. He didn't feel any wettness on his neck so he knew Levi wasn't crying, and he was trying his best to prevent that from happening. He could practically feel Levi's murderous rage, and he knew for damn sure that the raven could kill if he wanted too. "I know you want to hurt him Vi, I know you do but I can't let you do that. You have so much going for you. You gotta grow up and be successful just like your mom wanted you too, right?" he felt Levi nod against his shoulder, "then that's what you have to do. We don't even know where he is."

The raven gripped at Erens shirt, anger still coursing through his veins as his breath was still shaky. "I fucking hate him."

Eren nodded and rubbed Levi's back reassuringly, "I know you do babe, I know you do."

Levi was calm for a couple minutes before finally relaxing against Erens larger body, breaths finally coming out even. He let his mind wander, to his mother and to that night where she was stabbed. All the blood, Levi was surrounded by violence since he was a young kid. No wonder he turned out this way. He eventually sighed and closed his eyes, just focused on the sweet nothings whispered in his ear and the hand rubbing at his back. "One time" Levi mumbled against his shoulder, "I wanted to go to the beach with mom"

"Did you guys ever go?" Eren asked softly.

"No" He frowned against Erens shoulder, "He didn't allow us too. I got ready, put my suit and floaties on but.. then all of a sudden mom said we couldn't go. She went back into her room and I heard screaming. I never asked to go to the beach after that."

"Then how about we go now?" Eren asked, "it's the warmest part of the day, we could now now and we can both go to the beach for the first time, how's that sound?"

Levi thought about it for a moment, he's actually never even been swimming before. "I dont want to swim" Levi said softly. "Just..look."

Eren nodded, "that's fine. Go get your keys and put your shoes on, I'll be downstairs in a second, okay?"

He felt Levi nod and the shorter man got off of his lap, and without taking a glance at Eren, he left the room. Eren sighed and got down on his knees, grabbing Levi's laptop from the floor and putting it on the bed. He stood up then, sliding on his shoes and grabbing his phone. He couldn't believe.. all he knew before was that Levi's mom passed away. To know he watched her die suffering at only seven years old.. he could barely believe it. If he wasn't here with Levi while they opened the box, he would think the raven would lie. 

With one last look at the toolbox and the laptop, Eren left the room and walked downstairs. He saw Levi leaning against the front door texting someone on his phone, and he looked up at Eren. "Ready?" he asked, his car keys in his hand, he was holding two towels in his other arm. 

"Yeah, let's go" he said with a small smile. 

Levi turned and opened the front door, walking to his car with Eren following behind him. They walked silently, Levi didn't want to talk and Eren didn't want to ask because he understood. He would want time to think if he were in his boyfriends' position. Levi unlocked his car and they got in, and as soon as Levi started the car he backed out of the driveway and made their way to the beach.

-

When they arrived a half an hour later, Levi parked his car in between two palm trees behind a bar of cement. The car was shut off and they both got out, Eren's eyes widening as he looked around. They were parked on the edge of a huge parking lot behind two yellow spray painted lines and behind a space of concrete. Palm trees surrounded the edge of the parking lot, it was warm and it would be sunset in about an hour. There were few clouds in the sky, children and parents were playing in the water and building sand castles in the sand. He looked over at Levi, who was looking around as well with towels in his arms. "let's go!" he said excitedly, walking around the car and grabbing Levi's hand. 

Levi held Erens hand tight as he lead the two of them out of the parking lot and onto the sand. It was soft under their covered feet. The water was so blue, shiny, and there were birds flying around. They walked some more until Eren laid out the towels for them so sit on, away from people but close enough to see the water wash up on the sand at each eave. Both boys sat down on the towels, Eren was criss crossed and Levi had his legs pulled to his chest as he looked around. 

Erens eyes were blown wide with happiness as he looked around, a huge grin on his face. So this was the wonders of California, beautiful skies with palm trees and laughing children. A slow breeze of wind that was just right to avoid the beating sun. Maybe he could finally get a tan. This place was so warm and inviting, he even saw other couple walking along the beach and taking fun pictures. He smiled, he could get used to this place. He doesn't want to leave. 

Looking away from the happy view he had in front of him, he looked over at Levi. The raven was staring straight forward, the sunlight down casting onto his face. His eyes were wet, eyelashes coated with unreleased tears. He had a small smile on his face as he looked forward and that made Eren smile, wrapping his arm around the raven silently. Levi looked over at Eren who stared straight ahead, and smiled softly, laying his head on Eren shoulder. "It's just like what mom used to talk about" he commented.

"And like how they explained it in the books and the movies" Eren said with a smile, rubbing Levi's shoulder. "Gosh, it's so nice here. I don't think I wanna go back to school. I wanna go to the beach every day, this place is so cool Levi. It's so warm.. and nice"

Levi smiled softly at that, "I love you, Eren"

That made Eren look down at the raven, a small smile on his face full of pity. He kissed Levi's head as they stared onward towards the water. 

"I love you too, Levi. I love you too."

-

"Where did you two go?" Came Kennys voice as he sat on the living room couch.

Eren had just came back downstairs from tucking Levi into bed, he fell asleep quickly. He grabbed a beer and was sitting next to Kenny on the couch, they were watching TV quietly until the older Ackerman finally started upa conversation. He turned to look at Kenny, "we went to the beach."

"Sounds fun, been trying to get Levi to go but he wouldn't ever want too. You must be doin' somethin' good for him Eren"

"You think so?" Eren asked, taking a sip of his beer and looking over at Kenny. 

Kenny nodded his head, "Yeah, you're a good kid. I like ya."

Eren smiled, "well that's good, that's for sure. Do I still have to worry about you kicking my ass if I say the wrong thing?"

"Oh yeah" Kenny let out a laugh, "although, you seem like the kind of kid who would kick your own ass if you say the wrong thing"

"You're not wrong on that" Eren smiled and took another sip of the beer, "God, I'm so tired."

The older Ackerman agreed, "you and me both."

Eren looked over at him, "me too, I'm gonna turn in for the night and check in on Vi." he stood up, "night Kenny"

"Night kid"

After Kenny waved him off, Eren finished his beer and threw it away, making his way up the stairs. Eren made it to the top of the stairs and opened the door to Levi's room, smiling as he saw his boyfriend was fast asleep. He crawled onto the bed behind Levi, wrapping his arm around Levi's smaller frame and kissing the top of his head. "Goodnight Vi"

The raven whined softly in his sleep, burying his face in the pillow as he woke up a bit to reply to Eren. "mm, night"

Eren laughed and nuzzled his face into Levi's hair, closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep. 


	20. Taste The Rainbow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> California parties :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter will be a lighter load than the last one, sorry the last one was so sad :(  
> also its long, i almost split it into two parts lol

Bright and early in the morning, Levi's phone rang loud and clear. Levi woke up first before Eren and rolled over out of the big lugs arms, grabbing his phone and seeing the caller ID was his neighbors. He heard Eren groan and start to open his eyes and Levi shushed him, pulling Eren into his arms and smiling when he cuddled into Levi's side. Once he was sure Eren was asleep again, Levi answered the phone. "It's Levi"

_"W.. Wevi..?"_

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion at the sound of Olivers voice, "hey buddy, what's up?"

_"I um.. I had a ni-mare."_

"Oh" Levi rubbed his eyes and checked the time on his phone, four in the morning. He inwardly cursed and put the phone back to his ear, Eren and him didn't fall asleep till about an hour ago. "Are your grandma and grandpa awake?"

 _"Sweeping.. "_ Levi heard the kid sniffle over the phone, _"can we cuddle Wevi?"_

Levi looked down at Eren and held back his sigh, "yeah, let me come get cha, okay? I gotta write a note to your grandparents so they know you're with me. I'll be there soon, bye Oliver"

_"Bye Wevi"_

The raven hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair, he stretched and moved the blankets off of his and Erens naked bodies. He shook Eren awake, "Eren, hey, wake up."

With a groan, Eren opened his eyes. "Levi what the fuck, we just fell asleep. I'm fucking wrecked."

"Shut up, all I did was blow you. You can't be that tired after that" Levi rolled his eyes, he pushed Eren off of him. "Get dressed and come with me, I gotta go next door."

Eren yawned and nodded his head, rolling over and getting out of bed. He stood up and put on his boxers he previously discarded on the floor earlier this morning and grabbed his pants as he turned to look at Levi, who was halfway dressed already. "why are we going next door?" he asked, yawning again.

Levi put on his shirt and his shoes, he put on his glasses and he grabbed a hairtie from his dresser, walking over to Eren. "The neighbor kid, his name is Olver, had a nightmare. He's like five years old and if he has a nightmare he always calls me" he explained as he tilted Erens head down, tying his hair back into a bun. "You need a hair cut" he commented.

"I know, shut up" he said with a small blush and rubbed the back of his neck, "but why do I gotta go?" 

"Because I said so, you fuck" Levi yawned, "I'm fucking tired too, but you're coming with me. Come on, let's go" he grabbed Erens hand and lead him downstairs, "be quiet, don't wake up Kenny. He's not a good morning person" Levi instructed. 

"Yes sir" Eren nodded his head and he let Levi lead him down the stairs, they were both in boxers and a shirt, Levi wearing Erens shirt that was too big on him and a pair of random shoes. 

Both boys exited the house quietly and Eren followed Levi over to the neighbors house. He watched as Levi lifted up the flower pot and grab a key, walking up to the front door and unlocking it. One unlocked, he opened the door quietly and held it open for Eren, who shut it after he followed inside. Levi signaled for him to be quiet with his pointer finger pressed to his lips and Eren nodded, following Levi to the back of the house. It was pitch black so Eren couldn't see a thing, he held onto Levi's hand because it seemed like the raven knew where he was going.

They arrived to a room and Levi opened it slowly, making sure the door didn't make any noise. Once opened, they could both spot Oliver sitting on his bed under a blanket, a light coming from under the blanket. Levi smiled softly, "Ollie? It's Levi, and I brought my friend Eren."

The blanket was removed and a mop of curly orange hair popped up, "Wevi?"

"That's right" Levi walked over to him, "come here buddy, you're safe with me remember?"

"You keep me safe cause I small" Ollie whispered, and Eren frowned at that. Levi must've told him that, because that's exactly what five year old Levi said to Kuchel on that tape they watched the other day. He chose not to comment on it though, he just watched his boyfriend pick up the five year old child and hold him tight.

"That's right" Levi grunted as he picked Oliver up, holding him close. "Was it a bad nightmare buddy?"

"Miss mommy" Ollie whimpered into Levi's neck, "was here, now gone"

Levi frowned at that, "Shh, it's alright Ollie."

The small child looked up at Levi, "Can I sleep with you?"

With a quick glance at Eren, who nodded his head, he turned back to Oliver. "Course, but you have to go back in the morning, okay? Eren and I have to do things today so we can't hang out, but we can before I go back to school, alright?"

Oliver smiled his toothless smile and nodded his head, "yay."

Levi put Oliver down on the bed and grabbed a crayon from the night stand and tore a piece of paper from Olivers notebook, he wrote a quick note to Max and Francine saying that Oliver is sleeping at his house and he would be home in the morning and he put it on Olivers pillow. While he did that, Oliver grabbed his security blanket and stuffed elephant and opened his arms to be picked up. Levi yawned and picked Oliver up again, holding him tight in his arms and turning to Eren. "Ready?" he asked.

Eren nodded, "yeah, let's go"

The raven walked in front, leading the way. He held onto Oliver with one hand and Erens hand with the other, careful not to run into anything to make any noise. He's had to do this countless times before with Oliver, so Max and Francine won't trip if the kid isn't home. They made it to the front door and Eren opened it for Levi, who thanked him with a quick kiss and walked outside. Oliver looked up at Eren, "You wove Wevi?"

"I do" Eren nodded with a soft smile, "he's my boyfriend"

"He told me" Ollie smiled, "we are best fwiends"

"That's right buddy" Levi smiled and patted Olivers back, "we gotta share the bed with Eren alright? So no hogging the blankets, and if you're good I'll make pancakes when we wake up."

"I be good!"

"You better"

Levi lead them to the front door and typed in the security code to his home, walking inside and upstairs with Eren right behind him. Eren opened the bedroom door and after they all walked in, he shut it behind them. Levi finally put Oliver down on his bed, his arms were getting tired after carrying the kid for so long. He yawned and took his glasses off, setting them on the night stand and crawling onto the bed and laying down on his side in the middle. "Come on kid, wrap yourself up in your blankie, you'll be safe in here"

Oliver nodded his head and laid down on the bed, holding his security blanket tight and pressing his face into Levi's chest, curling into the short mans stomach. He smiled when he felt Levi's arm wrap around his small body, he peeked over Levi's shoulder. "Ren? In bed?"

Eren just chuckled, "yeah, m'comin" he said and took off his shoes, he got into bed and scooted behind Levi, pressing his front into his boyfriends back side.

"Go to sleep, Ollie" Levi mumbled as he started to fall asleep again.

"Goodnight Wevi, goodnight 'ren"

"Goodnight Oliver" Eren mumbled, and not even a minute later, the three of them were fast asleep in the bed. 

-

Keeping his promise from earlier this morning, Levi made both Oliver and Eren pancakes for breakfast after all of them showered. They were all downstairs and were joined by Kenny briefly before the older man had to go to work, he bid farewell to the three of them and with a ruffle of Levi and Olivers' hair, he left the house. While Levi made them some chocolate chip pancakes with some fruit, Eren and Oliver were sitting at the table playing a game of tic tac toe. The older boy had let Oliver win a couple times, and sometimes the raven would watch over Olivers shoulder and help him place his next move. Overall, this morning was a good and easy morning. 

The pancakes were just the right kind of fluffy with a side of fruit and some orange juice with tea for Levi. They pretty much ate in silence since all of them were hungry. Oliver finished his food fast and talked to Eren a lot, telling him stories about him and Levi playing in the yard or watching movies. Eren listened intently with a smile on his face at the child, his eyes softening when Levi would lean over and wipe Olivers mouth with a napkin or tell him to chew with his mouth closed, even when Levi cut up the banana he put on Olivers plate. It was weird seeing his boyfriend be so domestic, but also so nice. 

When they finished their meals, they cleared their plates and set them in the dish washer, filling it up. Levi had started the washer and instructed Eren to put his shoes on, saying they were dropping Oliver off at his house after they all brushed their teeth, Oliver had a spare tooth brush in the drawer. The teal-eyed boy complied and put his shoes on after Levi, watching as the shorter boy picked Oliver up and held him with one arm as he opened the front door. Eren held the door open for the three of them and shut it behind him, following the two over next door. 

Oliver knocked on the door and the three of them waited patiently for Max to open the door, when he did a bright smile spread across Olivers face. "Hi grandpa!"

Max just smiled, "well hello there Ollie, come on inside, grandma is watching your favorite show"

The small child nodded and wrapped his arms around Levi's neck, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek as a goodbye. As Levi set him down, he waved goodbye to Eren, who returned the wave with a gentle smile on his face. They watched as Ollie went right past Max and into the house, and Max turned to look at Levi. "I read the note, about his mom again?"

Levi nodded his head, "yes, but it's all taken care of."

"Thank you Levi, I really appreciate it" Max smiled and he looked over, meeting Erens eyes. "You must be Eren, nice to meet you. Thanks for being there for Ollie last night and this morning"

"It's no problem" Eren said and put his arm around Levi's shoulders. "Really, he slept just fine when we brought him over last night."

Max just nodded his head, "thank you both, now run along and get on with your day. You teenagers must have something planned for the day"

"Will do" Levi said, tilting his head to lean it against Erens shoulder. "See you around Max, tell Francine I said hi"

"I will, good bye you two. Take care"

When the door shut, Levi turned to Eren and looked up at him. The taller boy looked down at Levi for a second, trying to figure out what the blank look on the ravens face meant. He was about to say something, but then Levi's mouth curved slightly up to form a smirk on his face. "I know where I want to take you today."

He grabbed Levi's hand as the raven lead them back to his house, "where?"

Levi lead the two of them back to his house, typing in the code and walking inside. He watched Eren shut the door behind them and he took off his shoes, Eren following suit. "It's a surprise"

Eren raised an eyebrow at that, he did not like surprises, but he couldn't say no to Levi. "Okay, well when are we going?"

"Later tonight" Levi answered. "Erwin is graduating from the police academy tomorrow and that's at two, and he's having a small party afterwards so we're not gonna stay out too late tonight." 

They went upstairs into Levi's room, shutting the door behind them and locking it. Eren yawned once again, stretching his arms above his head. He grabbed the remote to Levi's TV, turning it on and selecting something on Netflix. As he searched through different shows and movies, a thought crossed his mind. "So, what are we going to do until we go out later?" he asked as he found the action movie category. "We didn't sleep a lot last night, do you wanna take a nap after the movie? I mean, if we have time I guess. I just thought we could go out and do something until- hmph!"

He didn't even see Levi come up to him, the little raven was stealthy as ever. All he felt was a hand grip the back of his neck and pull him down until his lips reached Levi's and he felt his heart melt. One of the biggest things he loved between him and Levi was the fact that they were about a foot apart in height, he wouldn't ever admit to Levi that it may or may not be a kink of his. He just fluttered his eyes shut, kissing Levi back and his hands roamed his lovers slim sides until they rested upon his hips. He felt two arms wrap around his neck and he opened one eye to look down, seeing Levi on his tip toes. He chuckled and pulled back, pressing a kiss to his boyfriends forehead. "You want something, love?"

Levi looked up to him, his arms still wrapped around Erens neck. His fingers played with strands of Erens hair, his breathing a little labored from their kiss. His silver eyes sparkled a bit as he thought, he could say so many things. He wanted Eren to fuck him, he wanted his boyfriend to screw him into oblivion but he knew Eren wasn't comfortable with that yet. The only word he could form at the moment stumbled past his thin pink lips, "you" he whispered, hoping that Eren would give him something. 

Gripping a little tighter at Levi's lips, his lips curled into a smirk as he leaned down a bit more to grab at Levi's thighs. "jump" was all he said, and Levi complied faster than he would like to admit. When Levi jumped up, Eren grabbed at his thighs and held him tight in place, it was at that moment he felt his boyfriends hard length press against his stomach. Eren just chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to Levi's lips before speaking again. "how about we expand our horizons a bit, hm?"

He wasn't sure what expanding horizons meant between the two, but he was excited. The only thing Levi has done was blow jobs and sex, so if it was something else Levi was a little excited. He straightened his shoulders and rubbed his length against Erens stomach, nodding his head. "Okay" he breathed out at the friction he caused for himself. 

Eren smiled at that and he walked them over to Levi's bed, keeping a tight grip on Levi as he leaned down, laying Levi down on the mattress and crawling on top of him. Levi looked up at Eren, reaching a hand up and moving the brown hair out of Erens face and tucking some of it behind Erens ear so he had more of a clear look of Erens face. The younger man smiled and leaned down, Levi went to kiss him but Eren dived straight down to his pale neck. Levi let out a gasp as Eren went straight for giving him a hickey towards the bottom of his neck. "oh fuck" he moaned out as he felt Eren lap his hot and wet tongue over the love bite he left on Levi's neck, which was now sore and bright red to the eye.

He pulled away, looking down at it and smiled. He kissed around Levi's neck, occasionally biting down, listening to the ravens moans increase. He could feel Levi buck his hips up, trying to create some friction and Eren moved away every single time. He wanted to laugh at Levi every time he would groan out in frustration when he didn't get what he wanted. After a couple more minutes of torturing the raven, he decided that enough was enough. Eren pulled away and lifted his head, pressing a quick kiss to Levi's lips. "you trust me?" he asked softly. 

Levi blinked up at Eren with a questioning look, but he nodded his head none the less. "always" he whispered.

That was all the confirmation Eren needed, he lifted his body off of Levi's an sat back on his knees. "Roll over onto your stomach and get on your knees" he said, giving Levi an encouraging smile.

With a questioning look, Levi nodded and rolled over onto his stomach. He pushed his hips off of the bed, getting onto his knees so his ass was in the air and his face was now resting on the pillows. The shirt he wore slowly fell so most of his stomach was now exposed, he settled in until he was finally comfortable.

He felt Eren lean over him, pressing small kisses to his spine and those kisses trailed down to the waistband to his shorts. Levi was about to ask Eren what he was going to do, but then he felt fingertips trace his shorts and soon enough a gust of air hit his backside when his shorts and boxers were both pulled down to his knees. "Lift your right leg" Eren instructed, and Levi did. "Now the other" he listened the lifted the other once his right knee was placed on the bed, and soon his boxers and shorts were now on the floor, and he could feel the heat of his hard cock on his stomach. His OCD began to kick in at that moment and he started to stress, Eren picked up on it when he saw Levi tense. "babe?"

"Messy" was all Levi said, "bed will get messy, Eren. Towel"

To ease his lover, Eren pressed a kiss to Levi's hip. "Course love" he reached down under Levi's bed where he knew there was a towel kept there, as they've used it before and it was just washed. He sat back up and spread the towel out under the raven, smiling softly when he saw Levi relax. "better?"

"Better" Levi said against the pillow. 

Eren smiled and he pressed soft kisses to Levi's hip once more, "just relax and let me take care of you, alright?"

"m'kay"

At that, Eren figured it was time to get to work. He traced his hands down Levi's sides, over his abs, and then to his hips. He gave his slim hips a tight squeeze, smiling when he saw them twitch at the touch. He pressed soft kisses to Levi's spine and down to his tail bone, soon going lower. 

Levi felt weird being so vulnerable like this, he knew what Eren was going to do and he's never done this before. "Eren" Before he found the energy to reach back and tell Eren to not do what he was going to do, he felt the hands on his hips tighten and spread his cheeks, and soon a wet and hot tongue traced over his rim, and soon was plunging inside of him. "Er- oh.. oh _fuck_.."

Eren wanted to smile at that, but he was preoccupied at the moment. He listened intently as Levi let out heavy breaths, and that encouraged Eren to continue. 

The raven moaned softly at the unfamiliar feeling, his eyes fluttering shut as he let Eren work his magic. Wow, his man was really good with his tongue and it angered Levi that Eren became so good at this by doing it with other people. That thought didn't stay in his head for long though because he felt a wet finger slip inside of him, and he let out a whimper at that when he felt a small burn come from his back side, and he eagerly pushed back against Erens hot mouth and finger. 

When he saw the raven become more eager, he smiled and stretched Levi out a bit more before sliding another finger into Levi's hole. He heard Levi let out another whimper and he went slow for a second, allowing Levi to adjust. After a couple seconds he eased up with his tongue and mainly used his fingers, curling them in many ways until he heard Levi cry out at a particular angle. "Found it" he smiled and at that same angle, he began to finger Levi at a faster pace than before, jabbing at the same angle. 

Levi's breathing began to pick up and he couldn't control the sounds coming from his mouth anymore, it's been so fucking long since his prostate was touched it was almost overwhelming. He could feel Erens fingers curl inside of him, jabbing at the same spot over and over again. His arched his back to push against Erens fingers, squeezing his eyes shut and imagining that it was Erens cock since that was what he really wanted. He cried out once more when he felt a hand wrap around his cock, a finger, a thumb, he assumed rubbed across the head. "oh God" he whimpered, burying his face into the pillow. " _Eren_ " 

"You sound so pretty like that" Eren said as he moved his hand on Levis cock at the same pace as his fingers inside Levi's hole, still jabbing at the spot. "say my name again baby, just like that."

A loud whimper escaped Levi's lips again, "Eren, fuck" he gripped the pillows as an overwhelming feeling began to pool in at the bottom of his stomach. He groaned and gasped against the pillows, "Eren, close, m'close, Eren"

Eren smirked and although his arms started to ache, he was determined to finish Levi off. He increased his speed with both of his hands, he could see Levi's legs begin to shake and he wanted to laugh. He kept going, listening to the ravens breath pick up and high pitched whimpers escaped his lovers lips, "come on baby" he ordered, shoving his fingers as deep as he could into Levi, jabbing hard as his prostate. "come"

"I'm coming, I- Eren!" At the hard jab to his prostate, Levi jolted forward and came onto Erens hand and the towel beneath him. He gripped the pillow tight as his legs shook, he could feel Erens hand still moving on his cock and the fingers inside of him gently massaging, helping him ride out his orgasm. He whimpered into the pillow, breathing still labored and he flinched softly as Eren rubbed at his prostate again, it being sensitive. "mm, Eren.." he moaned softly, his legs shaking. 

The younger boy just smiled as he looked forward, seeing the post-orgasm bliss on Levi's face. He decided to stop his movements, slowly unwrapping his hand around Levi's cock and easing his fingers out from his lover. He smirked as Levi whined at the feeling of emptiness, "hold yourself up for a couple more seconds love, just gonna clean you up" he whispered, wiping his hands on the towel quickly and reaching the towel up from the bed, wiping Levi's backside and his cock, apologizing as Levi winced since he was still sensitive. "Okay" he said once he finished, he moved out of the way. "You're good."

Levi finally collapsed back onto the bed, releasing his grip from the pillow and peaking up at Eren. He watched his boyfriend toss the towel into the hamper and reach to Levi's night stand, squirting some hand sanitizer onto his hand and rubbing them together, cleaning himself before he touched Levi again because he knew how the raven would get if he touched him while being dirty. Once he finished he ran his fingers through Levi's hair, watching the raven close his eyes softly. 

A soft look over came Erens face and while keeping one hand in Levi's hair, he reached down to grab his boxers and shorts from the ground. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Levi's forehead, "roll over Vi, gonna get you dressed again" he whispered. 

With a glare on his face, Levi rolled over onto his back. He reached for his clothes but his hand was slapped away from them by Eren. He was about to tell Eren off but instead he let Eren put his boxers and shorts back on him, and when Eren laid down on his back he turned, cuddling against Erens side and closing his eyes once he felt arms wrap around his smaller body.

Eren kissed Levi's head, "how was that?"

"I liked it" Levi answered. "Never done that before, it was fun"

He always liked talking to Levi after he had an orgasm, the raven was always more honest and willing to answer his questions afterwards. "Never done it before? But you've been with guys before, they never did that for you?"

"No, was mainly just fuck and go with Erwin and I. I pleased Jean every time, usually there was no room for me."

The arm around him tightened, "There's a lot more where that came from Vi, all you gotta do is trust me."

"I do trust you"

"I know, thank you for trusting me Vi."

Levi went to lay on top of Eren, but as he moved his leg he heard Eren let out a groan and that's when he realized that Eren was as hard as a rock down there. He smirked and looked up at Eren, "can I blow you?"

"You don't have t- jesus christ.."

The raven had already reached down and grabbed Erens length over his boxers, "please?"

When he received the nod from Eren, he went to town.

-

For the rest of the afternoon, Levi and Eren were upstairs watching TV and just hanging out, spending some alone time together before their night out. Their relaxing day stopped when the sun began to set, and that's when Levi suddenly got a burst of energy and practically rushed Eren out of bed. The younger man got mad as he was shoved onto the floor, but when he looked up to see an actual smile on Levi's face he cocked his head to the side in confusion. It was nice seeing a smile come from Levi, but it was also weird since he didn't get to see it often. "what?" he asked.

The shit eating grin stayed on Levi's face as he spoke, "I'm taking you to SPARK tonight."

"What's that?" Eren asked, not moving from where he was still on the floor. 

"A nightclub for the gays" Levi said, "it's the best one in Long Beach, I've been going since I was sixteen and I know the bouncers so we can get in without showing ID's. I know the bartender too, so we can get some free drinks on the house"

Eren raised an eyebrow, "I didn't figure you for the clubbing type"

Levi wanted to laugh at that, he got off the bed and held out his hand for Eren to take. Once Eren stood up, he straightened out his shirt and looked down to Levi. The raven just turned and walked to his closet, "you'll love the place, it's huge and there's dancers and everything. Dance floor is huge, drinks are cheap and everyone goes there. Erwin even goes, and he might take Armin, I don't know. Don't tell him I told you that."

"No shit? I thought Erwin was our age?"

"He is, he wasn't always a good kid" Levi said with a wink and he opened his closet, sorting through his clothes. "I took him a handful of times and now he gets in whenever he wants too, and you and I are going tonight."

"I didn't know there was actual gay clubs"

"That's because you've never been to California"

"That's true.. but what do I wear?"

"I have that taken care of" Levi said as he pulled out a box, he walked over to his bed and set the box down. He opened it and began taking clothes out, "I havent worn these since I left for Maria, before I left Hange, Erwin and I would go clubbing sometimes but it was mainly Erwin and I." He picked up a couple of garments and set them aside, grabbing another couple clothing items and tossing them to Eren. 

Eren caught them and looked down at them, a confused look on his face. "Uh.. Vi..?"

Levi shut the box and grabbed the clothes he set aside for himself, looking up at Eren. "What?"

The younger boy looked down at the clothes, and then to Levi once again. "These are a little uh.. ya know.."

"Don't be so conservative" Levi rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss to Erens lips. "I'm gonna go change into this and fix my hair, when I come back you better be dressed and ready. It's going to be a wild night."

Eren watched Levi leave the room and shut the door behind him, leaving him all alone in his lovers room. He looked down at the clothes in his hands and set them on the bed, stripping of his own clothes. He threw his clothes into the hamper him and Levi shared since the raven didn't bother to get one of his own. With another glance to his clothes Levi picked out for him, "the things I do for you, Levi" he mumbled to himself, putting on the white pair of ripped jeans that were somehow his size. "no to bad" he grabbed the belt, putting it through the belt loops and buckling it and then reached for a shiny gold metallic jacket. He looked around for a shirt and when he didn't see one, he frowned and put the jacket on, was also somehow his size. "How the hell does Levi know my measurements?" he asked himself as he reached for the black tie, putting it around his neck and tying it. 

"Because I'm fucking awesome" 

He turned around quickly, "I think it's kind of- holy shit"

His boyfriend stood there, one leg crossed over another as he leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest. He wore a leather black sleeveless vest that was meant to be buttoned down but Levi left it unbuttoned, showing his toned chest and abs. He wore ripped jeans that had holes in the knees and thighs, showing off his pale skin. He wore black boots that he tied up, a little above his ankle, and a black choker to match. Levi smiled and pushed himself off of the door frame, walking towards Eren and reached up to adjust Erens tie. "Here, let me fix that"

"You look.."

"Amazing, right?" Levi asked, pulling away from Eren. "I'm surprised these still fit."

"Stunning" Eren smiled as Levi rolled up the sleeves on the jacket that he wore up to his elbows. 

"And you, may I add, look amazing in gold" Levi complimented, "god, now I wish we weren't going anywhere. I want you to fuck me."

"You always want that"

"Are you telling me no, _again_?"

Eren laughed and leaned down, pressing a kiss against Levi's forehead. "The time will come, love" 

Levi rolled his eyes at that and turned around, grabbing his phone along with his wallet, shoving them in his back pockets. He turned around to look up at Eren, snagging the car keys from his nightstand as well. "Club opened an hour ago, let's go"

Despite Erens nerves acting up, he followed Levi out of his room and down the stairs, as they were leaving, Kenny was arriving home. The elder Ackerman stepped out of his truck and scrunched his eyebrows together when he saw his nephew and boyfriend leaving the house in very revealing clothes. He grabbed his laptop case from the truck and locked it, "the hell you two headin'?"

Eren felt his blood run cold, oh God, this is where Kenny doesn't like me anymore. 

"Shut up, old man." Levi said, walking ahead of Eren as they went to his car. "Just going to have some fun"

"You two be careful, ya here? I'm too tired to keep track of ya. Look out for my boy, Eren, or I'll hurt cha"

"U-uh.."

"Stop scaring him Kenny, jeez" Levi rolled his eyes as he unlocked the door to his car, "bye old timer"

"Bye runt"

As Kenny walked inside the house, Levi and Eren got into the car. Levi opened the sunroof and rolled the window down when he started the car. He turned the radio up and looked to Eren, a smirk spreading across his face. "Eren Yeager, are you ready to taste the rainbow?"

".. You're a fucking idiot."

-

Now, Eren had always seen night clubs in movies that he watched with his friends at home. So he thought he would be prepared for what he was walking into, but he was yet again proven wrong. When him and Levi pulled up to SPARK, it was completely different than Eren would have thought. It was so.. bright and colorful. And there was noise, a lot of noise. Him and Levi got out of the car, and Eren began to feel a little self conscious about what he was wearing. His outfit revealed a lot of his chest and legs and he wanted to ask Levi to turn back.

Until he saw everyone else around them. As Levi checked in with the bouncer, and after getting the okay because somehow this guy owes Levi money, they walked inside and to say it was dark was an understatement. It was a large place, dimply lit and the colors that were there was a bunch of blue, purple, and reds. Everyone there was wearing something skimpy, revealing, or something like the couple. Truth be told, Eren and Levi were some of the most clothes people there. Most of the men were shirtless, the girls wearing something close to lingerie. 

The music was loud, some club music that Eren was sure he had never heard before. There was a fancy looking bar in the middle of the joint, lit up with low-hung lights and marble counters. Around the bar was many people, talking and laughing with drinks in their hand. On another side was a set of games for people to play, and then the dance floor with the dj pit, along with some cage and pole dancers. Eren felt like his ears were going to bleed, but he kind of liked it. Nobody cared who banged who here, so different than his home town. 

He took a closer look and saw bracelets around everyones wrist, and he almost asked about it, then Levi grabbed his hand and lead him to a table where other bracelets were laying. "Why is everyone wearing these?" he asked as he stood close to Levi. 

Levi looked up at Eren, "basically it's your status. Green is for single, yellow is for single and ready to mingle, red basically means that it's complicated, and black is for if you're in a relationship." He explained as he snapped a black one onto his wrist and then onto Erens. "Basically, if anyone tries to court you while wearing this, you tell me and I'll take care of it."

"Aw, my little guardian"

"Little? I hope you're not talking about downstairs-"

"Shut the fuck up Levi, Jesus"

He laughed at Eren, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. "Let's get you a drink, shall we?"

At that, both boys made their way to the bar through all of the people. Eren stayed behind Levi, holding his lovers hand as he still tried to take in his surroundings. He was eighteen for christs sake, why the hell was he in a bar? Oh yeah, because he's in love with a fucking idiot. As they shoved past a couple more people, Eren apologizing for how rude Levi was being, he was eventually sat down at a stool at the bar. Levi plopped down on the stool next to him, pressing a kiss to his lovers cheek and he turned to the bartender, who had her back turned. "Petra!" he called out over the music.

A woman behind the bar with blonde hair and brown eyes turned around when she heard her name called. She wore black leather shorts that were almost like another layer of skin, along with black boots and a red strap top. She had silver earrings dangling on her shoulders, and bracelets to match. Her face looked natural, she never wore much make up in the first place. Her dirty blonde hair was smooth and shiny, coming down to her shoulders. The woman, Petra, looked at the man who called her name and a smile spread across her face and spoke with a hint of playful lust. "Well well well, is that Mr. Ackerman that graced us with his presence?"

"Oh you know it" Levi flirted back, leaning on his elbows that rested on the bar. "Would you be so kind to get my boyfriend and I a couple drinks?"

She walked over to them, leaning over the bar so she was face to face with Levi. "What would you and your boyfriend like?"

Eren felt his blood boil when he saw how close the woman, Petra, got to his man. He watched closely as they spoke quietly to each other, but he wanted to smile in victory when Levi moved his hand to rest on Erens thigh. He watched as Petras face didn't change, but some of the lust was erased with a lighter look on her face that she did not understand. 

"Start out with two vodka sodas" Levi finally spoke, casting a side glance to Eren, "and a Mai Tai"

"Will do" Petra said with a smile and she turned around to make the drinks.

Eren looked over to Levi, "what the hell was that? was she flirting with you?"

Levi raised an eyebrow at Eren, raiding his wrist so Eren could see his bracelet. "Why would she flirt when I'm wearing this? And if she was, she understands the rules. Also, she knows I'm straight into dick, and she has a boyfriend. Flirting is how she makes her tips."

"But she got too close to you" Eren pouted, feeling jealous. "I didn't like that"

"She's a friend" Levi smirked, his hand on Erens thigh tightening. "Her and I go back a long way, we play flirt a lot but it means nothing, I promise. I love you."

A blush covered Erens cheeks, "I love you too."

"Two vodka sodas and one Mai Tai for the two gentlemen" Petra said as she turned around, putting the drinks in front of them. "On the house like usual" 

Levi nodded, picking up his drink. "Thanks Petra"

She nodded and ran a hand through her hair when it got in her face, "now Levi, please tell me about this treat sitting next to you."

The raven proudly introduced his boyfriend, "this is Eren, my boyfriend, we met at Maria University and he's staying with me until we go back. Eren, this is Perta, the best bartender in Long Beach."

Eren gave her a polite smile as he sipped his drink, "it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to have Levi bring someone so hot in here" Perta smiled, "something else I can keep my eye on" she winked. 

Levi wanted to laugh as Erens face turned a deeper shade of red, "he does look very nice, doesn't he?"

"You picked a good one, Levi" Petra smiled. 

"Okay okay you guys can stop now" Eren said around his drink.

Perta laughed and went to say something, but was soon called by someone else so she bid them goodbye and went to make someone elses drink. 

Levi turned to Eren and leaned in as he took a sip of his drink, a smirk coating his lips. "See? I'm not the only one who thinks you're a hot piece of ass. I picked out a damn good outfit for you"

Eren rolled his eyes at that, "are you gonna talk or are we going to get shit faced?"

The ravens smirk spread wider on his face as he held up his drink to his lips, taking the shot without breaking eye contact with Eren. "Let's fucking drink."

The two of them ordered countless drinks after that, not caring about the cost because Petra said they would be covered since Levi did her a favor a long time ago. Eren was too trashed to ask about it. After every drink was downed past his lips, Eren has begun to relax a lot more. He was more talkative now, talking to anyone around him and even flirting with a couple people. Levi couldn't stop him though, since he started to do the same thing but nobody did anything more considering they were both wearing black bracelets. Eren actually ended up getting along with Petra along the way, which made Levi happy.

After the both of them got trashed, Eren wanted to dance on the dance floor when he recognized a song he liked. Levi laughed when Eren practically dragged him to the dance floor, a drink in both of their hands. The dance floor was crowded with people, there was so much skin on skin contact between strangers but both boys didn't care. The last time they were at a party, Levi freaked out because he was still getting to know the younger boy he decided to give his heart too, but now he knows that even though they're both trashed, he could trust Eren no matter what.

For the first time in a long time, Levi completely let go of his past. It was times like these where he felt at home, surrounded by people in his community that he knows won't judge him, partially because some of these people know him to be violent they stayed away from him. That didn't bother Levi though as he turned around, his back side pressed against Erens front as they danced. Strangers surrounding them, some grinding against Eren and Levi and they both did the same. 

Eren loved how carefree everyone was here, even if they were all fucking trashed. People came over and danced with them, some pressing against Eren and all he could do was laugh as he danced with them. He glanced at Levi a couple times, keeping an eye on the raven but overall relaxing and having a good time when he saw Levi having the time of his life. Levi shot down the rest of his drink and was dancing against someone else who also had a black bracelet on, so Eren was positive he had nothing to worry about, if Levi could feel up on someone, Eren could do the same without a care in the world.

During a base drop of a song, the DJ sprayed out some sort of an alcohol out of a bottle and pulled a string, releasing glitter and confetti from the ceiling. Eren looked around confused until he saw Levi, who was leaning against a woman his height and they both cheered, leaning their heads back and sticking out their tongue to catch the alcohol. Eren turned around and saw everyone else doing the same thing so he joined in, laughing as a sour taste landed in his mouth and he soon realized it was vodka when he felt burning in his throat. 

He felt warm after that, covered in glitter and surrounded by strangers that accepted him. He wants to stay here forever. 

Eren soon felt someone touch his arm and he looked down to see a very wasted Levi, face wet from the alcohol that was sprayed and he was covered in glitter. His hair was pushed back out of his face, probably held back by the sweat. He smiled and went to say something but Levi pulled him in for a quick kiss, causing Eren to smile. "God, you look amazing" he mumbled over the music.

Levi just smirked and turned around so his back side was now pressed against Erens front side, the alcohol finally winning in Levi's system. He wanted to feel Erens warm hands on him, to fall victim to the liquor and the beat of the music. He tilted his head back to look up at Eren, a sultry look on his red face. "You look fucking hot."

The younger boy let his hands ravish Levi's body, feeling him all over, not giving a damn about anybody else that was around him. He didn't care about the people who got too close to Levi, or the people who got too close to him. As the music changed tempo to a slow and sexual song, Levi smirked and pressed harder into Eren, who let out a soft groan. The friction Levi was causing between the two caused him to start to pitch a tent, but he doubts anyone else could notice. The raven turned around and pressed kisses along Erens neck, sticking his tongue out to lick the droplets of the alcohol that was sprayed from earlier that was still on his neck. 

"Fuck, Levi" Eren moaned and he looked down at his boyfriend, who's eyes were red rimmed and half way opened. He was fucking wasted, but he didn't care. His hands made their way down Erens body and soon he turned around again, putting Erens hands on his hips and hollering at someone else who danced close to him with a smile on his face, dancing close to them while Eren still held him. 

Damn, was I really missing out on all this fun living in Michigan? Eren thought to himself, which was the only clear thought he's had the entire time he's been at the bar. He watched Levi dance with everyone while keeping close contact with Eren, he didn't touch anyone else with his bare hands but everywhere else was up for grabs. Eren joined in once again, dancing with other people, even making some new friends. 

This, Eren thought, was how he wanted to live. 

He felt free.

-

They snuck into the back of the graduation building the next day, finding a spot next to Hange and he parents. They had ran late and of course felt bad, but they had gotten home at around seven in the morning after acting like idiots for hours on end. With only four hours of sleep and huge hang overs, Eren and Levi rushed to get ready and were lucky to grab a seat next to someone they both knew. 

Hange looked over at Eren and Levi as they sat down next to her, she raised an eyebrow at them. They both had sunglasses perched up on their heads and a can of V8 in their hands, but were dressed normal. Both boys had a bit of glitter on their faces and thats when Hange caught on to what they did last night. She leaned over and whispered, "did you two go to SPARK last night?"

Levi looked over at her and smirked as he took a drink, "Yeah, got shit faced too. We came as quick as we could, did we miss Erwin getting his certificate yet?"

"They just got to the S', so no" Hange said with a small laugh, and nodded towards the stage.

"Erwin Smith, come get your certificate"

They all watched as Erwin made his way up the stage in a full police officer uniform, he looked handsome in it. He kept his head held high and his stride prideful as he accepted his certificate, thanking his superior officer and standing next to his other graduates. Levi and Hange had a look of pride on their faces, like proud parents. They were so proud of him, Erwin graduated at the top of his class and their hearts were warm for him. This is what Erwin worked so hard for, and some day he'll be in charge of everyone. A sheriff, they knew he could do it. 

When the ceremony ended, they all went back to Erwins house for the graduation party. A lot of other cadets came over to congratulate him, his entire family was there, most people from high school and his friends' families showed up. Basically the house was packed, and when it was time to do pictures by the photo op, Levi tried to hide behind Eren, but he was singled out by Hange and Erwin.

"Levi! The three of us have to take a picture! It's the infamous trio back together again! Come on!" Hange's voice shouted, a big smile on her face, dragging Levi by the arm. 

Levi gave Eren a look that basically said _help me_ , but all Eren did was laugh as Hange dragged Levi over to the photo op. He stood next to Armin, a glass of water in his hand and his sunglasses covering his eyes from the bright sun. "I bet you're proud of him" Eren said to him. 

Armin smiled up at Eren, "of course I'm proud of him, he did it all on his own."

"With your help" Eren smiled, "He couldn't have done it without you."

Both of them watched as Levi, Hange, and Erwin took pictures together. Eren laughed when they finally managed to make Levi smile for a couple pictures, jumping on Erwins back for some pictures, others being some candid of them laughing and aiming to hit each other. They really were a trio with the way they bickered, and it made Armin and Eren laugh at the three of them. 

For one final picture, Hange and Levi stood on either side of Erwin, their arms wrapped around each other, and when the camera went off all three of them had big smiles on their face. 

"We're proud of you, Erwin" Hange said after the picture was taken, looking up at him. "really"

Erwin looked down at Hange with a smile, "thank you, Hange"

Levi looked up at Erwin, "Congratulations, Erwin"

The tallest of the three brought the two into his arms for another group hug.

And the cameras went off once more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! leave kudos!


	21. Cold To The Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> filler chapter :/

_I hid under my bed quietly, evening out my breathing just like mom told me too. I could hear the front door open downstairs, and soon enough I could hear them yelling at each other. I put my hands over my ears, but nothing could stop the loud pained scream slip through my fingers so I could hear it clearly. I know it's my mom down there, and I know it's her boyfriend down there too. I know he's hurting her, and I want to help her. But.. I am too small, I'm only four, what can I do?_

_The house was quiet for a moment before I heard foot steps making their way upstairs, I used one of my hands to cover my mouth and the other one to push myself back further against the wall so if he were to walk in he couldn't see me hiding under my bed. My door was shut, I thought I was safe, but then I heard the door knob turn._

_My breath hitched as the door opened and my eyes watered, tears soon falling onto the hard wooden floor of my bedroom. I watched as big feet made their way into my room, I began to tremble. Those feet belonged to the man who hurt my mommy every day, and I couldn't do anything about it because I am too small._

_It was silent again, the foot steps stopped moving. Instead, they were right in front of my bed. My tears didn't stop flowing, and it took everything in me not to sniffle when snot ran down my lips and my hand._

_Then, he got onto his knees. The only thing I could see was his knees and feet, then a hand was placed on the ground, and then another._

_"I know you're there, brat" he said._

_I began to shiver, this was the end of me. He will kill me._

_I'm only four. He will kill me._

_He will kill me._

_The next thing I knew, I was staring into dull brown eyes._

Sometimes, it was hard to remember what happened when he was a kid. Most of the time, his mind would wander and he would remember traumatic events in his dreams. He was plagued with nightmares most nights, sometimes so bad he would wake up thrashing and ready to fight. Other times, they would come back at a random time, like today.

Today was the day that Eren and Levi were flying back to Maria University, but Levi wanted to make a pit stop before they went to the air port. Kenny was with them, he was the driver. It was raining, which was kind of unusual considering it was southern California, but that didn't matter. When he heard what Levi wanted to do, he didn't waste any time to get both boys in the truck and drive.

"I want to visit moms grave" Levi had spoke while they all ate breakfast at the table. 

"You _what_?" They've never visited Kuchels grave before, and now all of a sudden Levi wanted to see it?

"Drive us to moms grave, I know you know where it is. I want to go before we go back to Maria."

"..Alright, kid. I'll take ya."

So now here they were, Kenny waited in the truck with Eren while Levi walked up to his mothers grave. It was stone, just like everyone elses, and because they didn't have a lot of money, her head stone was place in the ground so only a flat surface showed her name. 

_Kuchel Ackerman_

_Loving mother to her son, Levi_

_May 20th, 1970 - December 5th, 2007_

Levi knelt down, watching the droplets of water fall onto his mothers dirty grave. He grabbed a tissue from his shirt pocket, unfolding it and leaning down to wipe down the grave. He carved the dirt out with the tissue, his black bangs falling into his face as he did so. On the grave was a picture of her, an old one, when Levi was a year old he had to guess because she looked nothing like he remembered her towards the end. Skinny and starved, hair was falling out and her cheek bones were almost hallow. 

On the other side was a picture of Kuchel holding a baby, and he assumed that it was him in the picture because of the black hair and the fact that they look exactly the same. He traced his finger over the picture, a soft smile ghosting his face at her memory. He never thought about her, but when he did, he missed her a ton. 

He let his fingers trace over her name too, and the words below, and then the year. He paused at the year she died, thirteen years ago. She was only thirty seven, had her whole life ahead of her, and the man stole it from her. He killed Levi's mom, he is the reason his mom is six feet under ground. 

But then again, Levi also blamed himself. If he would've just climbed out that window faster, then the man wouldn't have found them trying to escape out the bathroom window. If only he was faster, smarter, stronger, then maybe he could have protected his mom. 

However, like she always told him, he was too small and needed to be protected.

Maybe that's why he is the way he is now, always wanting to protect everyone simply because he couldn't protect his mother from dying. He couldn't protect her from that horrible man, he had to watch as he plunged a knife through her chest countless times. He remembers the feeling of her warm blood trickling down his face and prayed on his clothes.

He wonders though.. why wasn't he killed along with his mom? Wouldn't that have been smarter?

Unless he who shall not be names knew Levi would be too scared to say anything to the cops, he knew because Levi was only seven, that he couldn't handle it. 

Now, it angered Levi. 

That man angered Levi, the man who had so much control over his child hood and his mother. If that man wasn't in the picture, then maybe, just maybe, all the bad things in Levi's life wouldn't have happened. 

If Levi ever got his hands on the man who did this, he was scared of what he might do. 

Being lost in his thoughts, he didn't even hear the footsteps behind him and he didn't even flinch when a hand was placed upon his shoulder. He simply followed the arm and looked up to see Eren squatting down next to him, a gentle smile on his face. "We have to go or we will be late for our flight" he said softly, rubbing his lovers shoulder. 

Levi nodded his head and looked down at his mothers grave again, his fingers never left the year of 2007, he never moved them. "She should still be alive" was all he said.

It was quiet, Eren could barely hear him but he understood. "I know, what happened to her isn't fair and it will never be."

"I never think about her" Levi began, his hand on the flat head stone began to shake. "But when I do I.. It feels like it was just yesterday when she was taken from me."

Eren nodded and wrapped his arm around Levi's shoulders, kissing the crown of Levi's wet hair from the rain, in his other hand was an umbrella that he held over Levi's head, making sure they both kept dry. "She loved you until the very end Vi, I'm sure she did."

He shook his head at that, "No, I'm the reason she's dead."

"No you're not" Eren frowned, how dare Levi have that mind set? "It's not your fault that window didn't open all the way, and from what you told me, with how little that gap was.. your mom wouldn't have been able to make it out of that same window she wanted you to crawl through."

Levi's eyes looked over the picture of him and his mom, they looked happy in it, so much different than he remembers them to be. He came to a realization then at Erens words and his eyebrows knitted together, "She had to have known that" he said quietly. "She had to have known that I was the only one to fit through the window.. but.. if she knew.. then she also knew.."

Eren watched as Levi slowly fell apart above the grave, "babe, all she wanted to do was protect you."

"And she did" Levi's eyes had begun to mist over, "without even thinking about herself and she got killed."

He brought Levi into his arms then, shushing the raven as he felt slender arms wrap around him tightly. He held the umbrella above them, making sure no rain hit the two of them. Eren listened to the shallow breaths Levi let out, his face pressed against Erens neck. Rubbing Levi's back silently, he spoke again. "She did it all for you Vi, any mother would do the same. And now she's watching you from up in heaven, and I bet she is damn proud of you on how far you've come."

Levi sniffed and lifted his head to look up at Eren, "you think so?"

"I know so, Vi" Eren spoke, his voice so sweet and tender, like he was afraid Levi would break if he spoke any louder. He cupped Levi's cheek, stroking it softly with the pad of his thumb. "Now, let's go catch our flight and go back to Maria, alright? I'll be in the truck, say your goodbyes" he said and pressed a kiss to Levi's cheek. He untangled himself from Levi's arms, making his way back tot he truck and getting inside.

Kenny looked over at Eren, "how is he?"

The young man shrugged his shoulders, "he will be okay" 

Outside, Levi spoke directly to his mother grave for the first time since he arrived. "I'm so sorry I couldn't get to you in time" he said below his breath, his finger swiping rain off of the picture of her. "I'm sorry I couldn't fit through that window and escape to get help. But mom.. why didn't you tell me you couldn't fit through it either? You knew the whole time I would be the only one to get out.. but you didn't care."

Anger and sadness coursed through his veins, "I feel like I should hate you, and part of me does, I hate you for doing that. You got yourself killed and he made me watch. I watched you take your last breath, I had your blood all over me. I wanted him to kill me too. He didn't, sometimes I wish he did."

Levi took a deep breath to even out his voice when it started to shake, "But I also love you, you're my mom. I have no choice but to love you, even if I hate that what you did was so selfish. I'm sorry that I'm topside and you're six feet under, I wish things could've been different. All you left me is a box full of memories and old videos of us, and I've been watching them every damn day because all I want to hear is your voice saying my name and calling me your son and telling me that you're proud of me."

"But I also understand mom, if I was in your shoes I would have done the same thing." He said sadly, "I love you mom, I wish things would've turned out differently."

And with that, the raven stood up and brushed the wet grass off of his sweat pants. He turned around and took one last look at his mothers grave, ignoring the wetness in his eyes and walking back to the truck. He opened the door and got inside, sitting in between Eren and Kenny. He felt a hand rest on his thigh as Kenny started and truck and he looked at his boyfriend, who had that same kind smile on his face. Levi didn't care about anything else in that moment, he just leaned over and rested his head on Erens shoulder, allowing one single tear to fall down his pale cheek.

The three of them arrived to the airport an hour later, the rain bad begun to pick up so they had to hurry and grab their bags before they got soaked. Kenny had parked the truck and helped the two boys inside, holding two umbrellas over each of their heads while he let himself get soaked by the rain. Once they were inside Kenny closed up the umbrellas, shaking his head like a dog since his hair got wet it was dripping down his neck. 

Eren wanted to laugh, "You look like a fucking dog"

"I'll make sure you don't make it on that plane if you don't watch your mouth, boy."

"You can't catch me now matter how hard you try, Kenny"

"Oh why I ou-"

"Can you idiots shut the fuck up?" Levi said in a his signature monotone deep voice, "you sound dumb"

Kenny smiled, "oh come on, at least your uncle and boyfriend are getting along?"

Eren shrugged his shoulders, "well, mostly."

Levi was about to say something else but then he heard their flight number being called, he then turned to Kenny, who already had his arms opened wide. He just sighed in relief and wrapped his arms around his uncle, feeling Kenny rest his chin on his head. "Bye Kenny."

"Bye runt" Kenny said, rubbing Levi's back and then ruffling his hair as they pulled away from each other. He looked over at Eren and before the younger boy could hold out his hand to shake, Kenny had brought him in for a hug just like he did Levi. "You watch out for him for me, ya hear?"

"I promise" Eren said with a smile as they pulled away, grabbing his bags along with Levi. "Bye Kenny"

"Bye you two!" Kenny called out, watching them walk towards their terminal. "Text me when you land safe"

"Will do, you old fuck" Levi said over his shoulder. 

Kenny just laughed, turning around and walking back towards his truck. 

He's gonna miss those kids. 

-

Both of them fell asleep on their flight, waking up only when it was announced that they arrived to their destination. The airport was close to their school, so Levi and Eren just grabbed their bags and left the air port, walking to their school. It was cold out, Levi and Eren were bundled up in as many layers as possible as they walked. They stayed close to each other, shivering as they walked. 

Minutes later, they arrived to their student housing building. They walked inside and checked into the front desk, making sure they kept the same dorm rooms as before. They haven't seen anyone they knew yet, so they assumed everyone was still either on their way or they were already settled in. The lady handed Levi and Eren their room keys and bid them goodbye with a polite smile, which only Eren returned.

They used the elevator to go to the second floor where Erens room was located, when the doors opened Levi pressed a kiss to Erens lips. "I love you, I'll see you later" he said, a gentle smile on his face.

Eren returned the kiss, "love you too, bye Vi." he smiled and turned, walking out of the elevator and down the hall. 

Levi watched Eren walk away and he pressed the button to the third floor where his room was located, the doors shut and he silently stood alone in the elevator until it dinged and the doors opened. He walked out, carrying all of his bags down the hall until he found his room. He used his key card to slide it through, listening to the door unlock and he opened it, walking inside. 

Mikes side of the room was empty, so he assumed he wasn't on campus yet. Levi just shut the door behind him and plugged his phone in to the nearest outlet, turning on his spotify and playing some music. He put his hands on his hips and looked around, sighing to himself.

He has to set his room up all over again.

Hours later and Levi and Mike's room was finished, he ended up coming in about an hour after Levi arrived. They both cleaned and decorated their room together, making sure it was up to both of their standards. After they finished cleaning their room they laid in their beds for awhile, catching up and talking until Mikes phone rang, interrupting their conversation. The taller of the two reached over to grab his phone that was charging, answering his phone. "Hello?"

_"Mikey Mike! We're all going to the diner tonight and we wanted to know if you and Levi wanted to go? Can ya? I miss ya!"_

Levi could heard Hange's voice on the other line and he rolled his eyes, they just got back. "we can go" Levi said.

Mike nodded and spoke into the phone, "what time?"

_"Now silly! Sasha and I are already on our way, we'll pick a table! Bye!"_

Hange hung up the phone quickly, and Mike shoved his phone back in his pocket. "Looks like we're going to dinner"

Levi looked over to Mike, "you got my tab?"

Mike rolled his eyes, "what are friends for?"

The shorter man just chuckled and he got out of bed, putting his shoes on. Mike followed suit, putting on his jacket, hat and gloves. "You inviting your boyfriend?" Mike asked as they walked out of their room, shutting the door behind them and walking down the hall. 

"Sasha and Connie are best friends at this point, and Connie is Erens roommate so I highly doubt Eren doesn't know about it" Levi spoke, he adjusted his hat so it was now over his ears and made sure his gloves were under his coat sleeve so now cold air his his arms. "God, this weather makes me miss California" he said once they walked outside their student housing building. 

"Me too" Mike spoke, crossing his arms over his chest as they walked. "Speaking of that, I didn't see you at all when we were home for Christmas break"

"I stayed home my first week, went to Michigan to see Eren for the second, then Eren came to California for the third week. We spent all our time together"

"Did you stay up north?"

"Visited up north" Levi answered, "not north where you're at though, mainly where Hange lives, so in the middle basically."

"Ah"

Levi looked up at Mike, "well if you missed me that much you could've told me" he teased.

Mike chuckled and shoved at his friends shoulder, rolling his eyes. "Never said I missed you"

The shorter man just snickered, not even trying to shove Mike back. At any given point, Mike would win in a fight between the two. "Right"

Walking through the cold wind and snow, Mike and Levi finally arrived to the diner minutes later. They walked in, wiping their feet on the mat and looking around for Sasha and Hange. Mike found them first and walked over to the big circle booth they sat in, Levi following behind him. Hange and Sasha were there of course, joined by Moblit, Mikasa, Annie, Connie, and Eren. Mike let Levi in the booth first so he could sit next to Eren, while he sat on the other side of Levi on the edge. 

Once Levi sat down, Eren had immediately pulled Levi close to him and wrapped an arm around the smaller mans shoulders, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Hi"

"I literally saw you like three hours ago" 

Eren rolled his eyes at that and he pressed another kiss to Levi's head, "you missed me"

"Yeah whatever"

Sasha spoke over everyone, "lets order and eat!"

The gang all ordered their food and explained to them what happened over their winter break. The table was full of talking and laughter from hearing every ones stories, it was a good thing that the diner was mainly empty because Hange, Connie, and Sasha were talking as loud as they pleased. Their food came and everybody dived in right away, Mike excusing his friends' ill manners to the waitress who did nothing but laugh and walk away from the table. 

While they were eating, Mikasa and Levi both got a text on their phones at the same time. Both of the Ackermans phones chimed and they reached for their phones, grabbing them. Mikasa ended up unlocking her phone first and she looked at Levi, "our test results are here"

"No shit, we got the same text" Levi said, "let's open it"

The two of them clicked on the link from the messages they were both sent and read over it. Everyone else at the table were still exchanging funny stories from break and Christmas presents they got from friends and family. Once the link opened for the two, they both focused on their phones, reading over the words carefully. 

Annie looked over Mikasas shoulder as she read the messages, "what does it say?"

Everybody else at the table went silent, awaiting the answer to the DNA test they were previously told about. 

"We're related" Mikasa was the first one to speak.

"No kidding?" Connie asked, "What are you two? You look enough alike, have the same dead pan look on your faces."

Levi looked up at that, "watch your mouth, Springer"

At Connie's fearful face, Eren rolled his eyes and put his arm around Levi's shoulder. "He won't hurt you for real Connie, he's a softie under that murderous look in his eyes."

The raven haired male glared at Eren but chose not to say anything else and looked back down at his phone. "We're related, but not by much. We're more like very distant cousins since I'm french and you're not, Mikasa"

"That's weird, I'm related to my brothers boyfriend"

"Adoptive brother" Eren pointed out.

Mikasa glared, "whatever."

After the test results were revealed, they all went back to eating their meals. Mikasa and Levi mainly discussed about their families to try and see if they knew anyone similar, Eren listened only a second before talking with Connie about other things. Mike joined Levi in conversation a couple times, but mainly stayed quiet like Annie did. Hange, Sasha, and Moblit talked to each other. Moblit had his arm around Hange's shoulders and she leaned into his touch, finally happy to see him again. The ravens eyes landed on them a couple times, a small smile eventually ghosting on his face when he saw how happy his best friend was with her boyfriend. 

While everyone else was talking, the short male turned to Mike, who was currently indulging himself in his bowl of hot warm soup. "Question"

"What?"

He made sure nobody could hear what he was saying, "you didn't see Jean at all while you were home, right?"

Mike raised an eyebrow at Levi, "what kind of question is that?"

Levi frowned, "I'm just making sure no one saw Eren and I you big fuck, now answer my question."

"No, I didn't see him or anyone else."

"Good" Levi sat back against the seat, "it needs to stay that way."

Mike didn't question it, just went back to enjoying his soup. 

Dinner wrapped up for the group a little over an hour later, some of their social batteries were drained so they decided to call it a night. Mike covered Levi's tab like he promised despite Erens protests saying he was the boyfriend and he wanted to pay and since none of them had their cars, they had to walk to their housing in the freezing cold. 

The walk was freezing, to say the least. Annie and Mikasa were wrapped in each others arms as they lead the way for everybody, making sure they both didn't slip on ice. Moblit had hiked Hange up on his back, holding her by her thighs and that allowed Hange to bury her face into his neck to keep warm. Connie, Sasha, and Mike were all bundled up walking in a group together, trying their best to radiate their warmth against each other. Once Eren caught a glance at Moblit and Hange he looked down at Levi, who's face was tinted pink and his nose had begun to run as he wiped at it a couple times. He just smiled and wrapped his arm around Levi's shoulder, bringing the smaller man closer to him while he himself shivered. Levi looked up to him then, sniffling from the cold but stayed silent, staying close as possible to Eren since the man was basically a walking furnace. 

When they got to their housing, Levi, Connie, Eren, and Mike waved goodbye to Moblit, Hange, and Sasha, who said goodbye to Mikasa and Annie. Mikasa and Annie moved housings so they were closer to campus so they still had a little longer ways to walk. The boys walked back into their own building, everyone a shivering mess. They kicked the snow off their shoes and took the elevator to the second floor. With a kiss goodbye, Levi and Mike said goodbye to Eren and Connie and they went up to the third floor.

Mike and Levi exited the elevator once the door opened and walked to their room, using their room key and entering their room. "I'm so fucking cold" Levi spoke once the door was shut, "Fuck"

"I miss Cali already" Mike stripped of his shoes and coat, setting his coat in the hamper and his shoes on the mat. 

Levi looked at him like he was ridiculous, "We literally got back a couple hours ago."

"And a couple hours is enough for me." Mike grabbed some pajamas and his phone, "I'm gonna shower, bye"

"Bye, asshole"

-

The next morning Eren woke up to a text from Mike and he groaned when he saw that time it was, it was eight in the morning. On Erens best day he doesn't willingly get up at this ungodly hour and he thought Mikeslept in too. So why the hell was Mike texting him of all people? He sighed and unlocked his phone, going to his messages and reading what Mike texted. 

To : Eren Yeager

From : Mike Zacharias

_Your boyfriend woke up with a cold and is too stubborn to text you. He's fucking annoying, you come here and take care of him._

He shot Mike a text saying that he would be there soon and he sat up, rubbing his eyes and running a finger through his hair. Noticing that Connie was still asleep, he quietly got up and put on some sweatpants and one of his sweatshirts. Eren slid on a pair of his slippers and made sure to grab his dorm room key and his phone. He sniffled a bit, his nose was running a bit but he doubted he had a cold like Levi, and he was sure Connie wasn't sick. If Levi had gotten a cold, then he was sure Mike and Hange might have the same thing since they're not used to the colder weather. 

As silent as he could be, Eren slipped out of his dorm room and shut the door quietly. He made his way down the hall and instead of waiting on the elevator he used the stairs since it would be quicker, and he knows how cranky Mike can be if he doesn't get sleep. He did not want to be on the receiving end of that attitude. Eren jogged up the stairs and when he arrived to the floor above him, he walked down the hall and down to Levi and Mikes shared room. He knocked on the door, "Hey guys, it's Eren."

"Mike I told you, I don't need him here, I'm not a baby"

That was Levi's voice he heard from the other side of the door, and then he heard footsteps. The door opened and he could hear Mike's voice bite back, "Shut the hell up you little shit"

Eren laughed a bit and he was face to face with Mike, who was wearing sweats and his face was flushed, nose running. "Hey" he said, sounding stuffed up. "we both woke up with colds, Levi hates medicine, I already took NyQuil so I'm gonna go to sleep. Make sure he shuts the fuck up so I can sleep"

Mike turned and left the door open for Eren and the younger man walked in, shutting the door behind him. Eren watched as Mike put his sound proof headphones on and lay back in his bed, pulling the covers over his head and getting comfortable all over again like he probably was before he was woken up. He looked on the other side of the room at Levi's bed to see a figure curled under the blankets, laying completely still. Levi's voice stopped him from taking a step forward.

"I'm not taking stupid medicine, I don't need any drugs for a stupid cold." 

"I won't give you drugs, just let me check something" Eren said and he walked to Levi's bed, putting a hand on what he assumed was Levi's shoulder. "Pull the blanket down, I'm going to check and see if you have a fever."

A groan came from under the blanket and soon Eren saw a mop of black hair, and then a pair of silver eyes looking up at him. Levi sniffled, rubbing his nose with a tissue. "I'm not a child, I don't need you to take care of me"

"I'm your boyfriend, it comes with the package" Eren comforted kindly, he rested the back of his hand on Levi's forehead, frowning when he felt the amount of heat radiating off of him. "You're hot"

"Why, thank you"

Eren sighed and rolled his eyes, "I'm going to borrow Connie's car and head to the store to grab you and Mike some stuff, I'll call Hange on the way to see if she is sick too and needs anything. You just rest here, okay?"

Levi looked up at Eren, frowning. "You can use my card"

He smiled and cupped Levi's cheek, stroking it softly, ignoring the heat. "No, it's on me Vi. I looked up the prices of the Gucci stuff you bought me, let me buy you some medicine at least"

The ravens eyes looked down, "But you liked the gifts, right?"

Eren looked at Levi like he was crazy, "of course I did, Vi. I never said I didn't, I'm just saying I want to spoil you too. Now, I'm gonna go and get you some stuff. Text me if you think you need anything."

"Okay, bye Eren"

"Bye babe" With a swift turn, Eren left Levi and Mikes room, dialing Hange's number. 

-

Turns out, Hange wasn't feeling good either. Moblit ended up going with Eren to the store since he brought his car and Eren didn't. Its a good thing stores around here were open 24/7, Eren has no idea how people can get up this early to just ring things up at a cash register or stock some shelves. These people should get a raise. 

They both loaded their baskets up with chicken noddle and tomato soup, pain relievers, some cough drops, a thermometer, Eren got hand sanitizer for Levi since he knew for a fact that Levi will find being sick absolutely disgusting. They each got a box of tissues and each of them grabbed two rags that they would use to put on their significant others foreheads to cool them down. 

After checking out they walked back to Moblits car, loading the groceries and getting inside. Moblit started the car and drove back to their housing, "I don't know how they got sick so easily"

Eren nodded and shivered, moving the heating vents so they were facing him. "It's cause they're both from California, and it's always warm down there. They're not used to the cold weather yet."

"Yeah, Hange mentioned that. Mike is from California too?"

Eren nodded his head. 

"Hange said she never met him before" Moblit stopped at a red light, "never seen Mike around"

"Levi and Mike knew each other, apparently Mike requested to be Levi's roommate when dorms were assigned." he shrugged his shoulders, "they weren't good friends but they knew of each other, Levi doesn't talk about California that often though."

Moblit chuckled, "Hange always talks about California, she says she loves it."

"It's a fun place, I was there for a week and they're parties are really something else."

"I'm not one for parties, but that sounds fun."

Eren let out a small laugh, "you don't look like someone who enjoys parties anyway"

Moblit huffed, "hey now, I am driving you back to housing so shush"

"Yeah, whatever man"

The drive was silent for a couple more moments before Moblit spoke again, "How are you and Levi doing?"

That made Eren smile, "we're good, you and Hange?"

A gentle look crossed Moblits face, "we're doing really good. I mean we've been together for only a short time, but she's awesome. Really smart too."

"You love her?"

"Of course"

"Good, because if you didn't Levi would probably have your head" Eren said with a teasing smirk.

Moblit shivered, "first time I met him I thought he hated me, I've been buying him starbucks drinks whenever the three of us study somewhere just to get on his good side."

Eren barked out a laugh, "No shit? He's got you wrapped around his finger. He likes you Moblit, you don't have to buy him stuff."

The taller man smiled, "Damn"

Minutes later they pulled into the student housing parking lot. They went around and grabbed the groceries each of them bought and after saying goodbye, they went their separate ways. Eren walked as fast as he could into his building since it felt like it was below freezing. He got into the elevator, the bags on his arms becoming heavy, which made the elevator ride seem much longer than it actually was.

When the elevator dinged saying it was on the third floor, Eren walked out and down the hall. He arrived to the shared room of Levi and Mike, and he knocked on it again. There was a shuffling of feet and then the door unlocked, the knob turning and the door opened. Levi had opened it, and he had put on some sweatpants and one of Erens sweatshirts. "How much was it?" was the first thing he asked.

Eren didn't reply to Levi, instead he just walked inside the dorm room. He listened as Levi shut the door behind him. He took the bag of things he bought for Mike and set them on the end of the guys' bed and then he turned to Levi, who was standing there with a blanket wrapped around him, watching Eren and wiping his nose with a tissue. 

The younger man smiled softly and reached down at the bag he still had on his arm, grabbing out the thermometer he had bought. He took off the case and turned it on, he took a step closer to Levi and held it out. "Here, put this under your tongue"

Levi didn't argue, he did as Eren said too and lifted his tongue, putting the device under it and holding it there. 

"Go ahead and lay down on your bed Vi, I'll cover you up."

He didn't bother saying anything since he had a thermometer in his mouth, so he climbed back in bed and rested his head on the pillow, sighing softly when Eren pulled the covers up over him. He felt Eren card his fingers through his hair for a second, but the moment of peace was interrupted when the thermometer beeped. Eren took the thermometer out of Levi's mouth and frowned at the number, which prodded Levi to ask. "What is it?"

"102.4" 

Levi sighed and closed his eyes, "that sucks"

"For you" Eren said, setting the device on Levi's night stand. "You're lucky you haven't thrown up. Hange is sick too by the way, Moblit and I went to the store together. She's got nausea, headache, and a fever. Mike said he wasn't feeling good either, so when he wake's up I'll make sure to take his temp."

"This sucks, my stomach hurts" Levi pouted, "and I'm really tired"

Eren rubbed Levi's shoulder softly, "I'm gonna give you some medicine so that you'll sleep most of the day, okay?"

Levi opened his eyes at that, he looked at Eren cautiously, a guarded look in his eyes. "Not pills?"

"No pills" Eren made sure he didn't get any pills after Kenny told him about the drug addiction Levi used to have, "all liquids."

"Good"

He took that as a good sign and reached back in the bag, grabbing some medicine and opening the tab. He poured some medicine into the cup that came with it, made sure it was the right amount and he turned back to Levi. "Open your mouth"

"Would rather open it for your cock rather than some dumb medicine" Levi mumbled, but opened his mouth anyway and accepting the medicine that Eren held to his lips and drank. 

Eren laughed, "course you would" was all he said, once Levi finished taking the medicine he set the cap on Levi's night stand next to the thermometer. 

"It tasted awful" Levi huffed. 

"You'll be fine, you want me to lay with you while you sleep? I'm tired"

"Yes"

Eren moved at that, settling under the blankets next to Levi, laying on his back. Levi had rolled over, pressing against Erens side and resting his head on the younger mans chest, sighing softly as Eren pulled the blankets up to Levi's chin to keep him warm. Eren loved taking care of him, and he would always love doing it. 

He remembers when Levi hated Eren even touching him. The times he would want to flinch away under the ravens murderous glare, that he isn't afraid of anymore because he is so sure Levi won't hurt him. Then came the time Levi let Eren touch him for the first time, it was at the Halloween party. Eren will always keep the look of Levi's face in his head when the raven realized he was touching Eren, the look of pure fear and disgust. He never wants to see that again. 

Truth be told, he will probably never know the extent of what Jean did to Levi. All Eren could do was trace the many scars on Levi's skin that he knew for damn sure they could be traced back to Levi's time on the south side. 

Eren smiled when he heard Levi let out a soft sigh when his fingers carded through Levi's hair, and soon enough he knew the medicine kicked in when Levi's breathing evened out. Months ago he couldn't imagine being in this position with anybody, and now he's like this with someone who could turn from sweet-ish to violent in an instant.

He just hoped he would never be on the wrong side of things between the two. 

-

"I'm going to throw up"

"Huh?"

That was not how Eren wanted to start his morning, he was taking care of both Mike and Levi until Mike left to go take a shower because he was sweating heavy under his many blankets. Eren was now sitting in the desk chair on his laptop, answering emails from his professors about syllabi's for his classes this semester when Levi spoke up. He had gotten there about six hours ago, he thought Levi was sleeping but apparently his lover had just been woken up. 

Eren spun around in his chair to face Levi, who was curled in on himself, his head peaking out from the blankets. "You think you're going to throw up?"

"I'm going to throw up" Levi could feel it, his mouth had begun to salivate and he knew that was a sign he would soon throw up the little amount of food he's eaten. "I'm going to throw up. I'm going to throw up. I'm going to throw up."

"Okay, okay" Eren got up from the chair and grabbed the trash can, thanking God that either Levi or Mike put a trash bag in it when they first got back. He walked over to Levi and squatted down, looking the raven in the eyes. "Do you want to go to the bathroom or stay in here? I got the trash, and I'll open the window so it doesn't smell in here."

Levi had begun to sweat, his breathing picking up from the anxiety. God, he hated throwing up. "Stay, can't make it to the bathrooms."

With a nod of his head, Eren held the trash can up as soon as he caught Levi leaning forward towards the trash can. His hand quickly reached out and held Levi's hair back, trying his best to tune out the sound of gagging and praying to God that none of Levi's vomit got on his fingers because he was holding the small trash can up by the rim. 

God, listening to Levi puke made him want to puke. He's so lucky he never got sick. 

"It's alright Vi" He said, not looking into the trash can but at the top of Levi's head instead. His hand stayed in his lovers hair, "just let it happen"

"Ngh" Levi groaned out once he finished throwing up, if it wasn't for Eren holding his head up it would've drooped and he would've hit the trash can Eren was holding. He felt his stomach churn again, but he didn't feel like he would throw up again, it was probably hunger pains. 

Thank God.

Eren set the trash can down once he watched Levi lay back on the bed, he was quick with his next actions. He stood up and turned around, opening the one window in the room and turning on the fan they kept. Sure, it would be cold, but he would rather have it be cold than it smell like vomit. He then grabbed the trash bag and tied it, walking out of the dorm room and going to the trash at the end of the hall, disposing of it. He came back, leaving the door open and replacing the trash bag int he now empty trash can. Eren grabbed the lavender air freshener Mike bought and sprayed it around the room, then grabbing a water bottle and some pepto and walking back to Levi, who had started to fall asleep once more. 

"Hey love, drink some water alright? I got some pepto for you to settle your stomach."

Levi opened his eyes slightly, "don't feel good"

"I know" Eren said gently, sitting down on the bed and rubbing Levi's back. "sit up for me"

And Levi did just that, rolling over onto his back and then sitting up slowly. He was dizzy, he's never been sick before. He's thrown up because of hangovers, but this was the first time he's ever gotten a cold, same with Mike or Hange. He looked up at Eren with pathetic eyes as he was handed the water bottle, "I've never been sick before" he said with a scratchy voice, opening the bottle and then taking a drink.

"Seriously? Never?"

Levi shook his head, "No, never had to worry about it in California."

"Ah, I think I got sick so much that I'm immune or something." Eren said as he poured the pepto-bismol into the cap, making sure it was the right measurement before handing it to Levi, who drank it. "Living in Michigan all my life definitely has it's pros"

"You're lucky" Levi said and he handed Eren the cap, "God, I feel like shit."

Eren set everything on Levi's night stand, when he noticed the raven shivering he gave him a smile of pity. "Sorry about that, but at least it doesn't smell like vomit in here."

"Ugh" Levi leaned forward and rested his head on Eren's shoulder, his stomach cramping. " _Eren_ "

He frowned and wrapped his arms around Levi, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Are you up to eating something? I could warm up some soup?"

Levi thought about it for the moment and considering he hasn't eaten anything, he figured he should eat. He nodded his head against Erens shoulder, "yes"

"Okay" Eren kissed Levi's head again, "I'll go warm up some soup for you and Mike, try and sleep while I'm gone, okay?"

"Okay" 

Eren got up from the bed and grabbed two cans of chicken noodle soup, two bowls, and left the room. He walked to the lounge area, he heard the shower running when he passed the bathroom so he assumed Mike was still in there. It was silent as he arrived to the kitchen, setting the bowls up and opening the cans, pouring them into the bowls and adding some water, putting the first bowl in the microwave. 

As that bowl heated up Eren looked out the window at the snow falling, it was really fucking cold outside. It couldn't be over fifty degrees, it's probably thirty if he's being honest. It's no wonder most of their friend group got sick, his nose was running a little bit as well. 

The lounge room was dark, considering it was really cloudy outside. It felt almost too quiet, the dorm room always looked a little creepy at night and considering it was two in the afternoon and cloudy, Eren was not surprised. 

He was hungry though, so as he put the other bowl of soup into the microwave he turned and opened one of the cabinets. Eren smiled when he saw a case of protein bars and he snagged a few, not really caring who they belonged too. He opened and ate one, finishing it as soon as the microwave beeped. 

Eren shoved the bars in his pocket and grabbed both bowls, putting spoons in them and making his way back to the dorm room. The shower wasn't running anymore, so he assumed Mike was finished. He walked into the dorm room, the door still open, shutting it behind him. He saw Mike laying on his bed under blankets, the TV had been turned on to some random show Mike liked to watch that made no sense to Eren, but both boys were entertained by it. "Mike, heated up some soup for ya."

Mike turned, "Oh, thanks" he said, grabbing the bowl from Eren. "Appreciate it"

"No problem" Eren smiled a bit and walked to the window, shutting it and turning off the fan, then turning to walk to Levi's bed. The older man was sitting up in bed, eyes trained on the show but when he saw Eren, it was like he was the only person in the room. Eren smiled and sat down next to Levi, handing him the bowl of soup. "Here, eat up."

Levi didn't thank him and Eren didn't expect him too, manners weren't part of Levi's personality. Eren didn't take it to heart though, he just wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close as he ate. "I love you" he whispered softly. 

Silver eyes met his, Levi's face was still flushed from his fever, just like Mikes was. Levi swallowed his soup, "Love you too."

-

Eren woke up with a small fever and runny nose the next morning. 

"Oh fuck me"

"No, you can fuck me though"

"God dammit Levi"


	22. With Love Comes Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jealous moblit  
> valentines day :)

School started up for everyone the following Monday. All of their schedules changed drastically, Levi and Erens schedule were basically opposite now. Levi had all morning classes and study groups in the evening with some of his fellow students, while Eren had mostly afternoon classes so he could sleep in. So to say the least, the two barely saw each other when school started. 

Weather was still cold outside, snow covered the ground along with sheets of ice. Most students had to wait at least twenty minutes for their cars to warm up so they can make it across campus, and for those who didn't have cars, it was absolute hell trying to get to class. 

Few were lucky though, like Hange and Levi. Moblit had his car and since the three of them had morning classes, he offered to drive them to campus. It became a routine thing, and soon the three of them were together every day except for weekends because it was too cold for them to walk to school. 

However, even though Moblit gave the two of them rides, he had begun to notice something between the two. You wouldn't notice it when Levi and Hange weren't together, but when they were, anyone could see it. The two of them were inseparable, and despite her friend hating to be touched, they touch _all the time_.

Maybe it was because Moblit didn't understand their dynamic like Eren does, because when the four of them rarely hang out, he doesn't see Eren even bat an eye at the close contact that Levi and Hange have. He doesn't know how Eren does it, or maybe he's the jealous type. All he knows is that he gets jealous every time Hange and Levi have their arms wrapped around each other. 

Of course, he knows the two have been friends for awhile. He know's from what Hange told him that Levi defended her on many occasions back in high school, and they had a friend named Erwin back home in California. Moblit is aware of the trio's close friendship, as he's heard about Erwin a numerous amount of times, but whenever the two of them are on the phone with Erwin, their friend doesn't give him a vibe like Levi does. 

Moblit didn't really know what it was about the raven that gave him a vibe, maybe it was the constant emotionless look on his face, or the constant murderous look in his silver eyes. He felt like he couldn't understand how the two of them were friends, Hange was such a bright soul that was always happy, someone to be cherished. Her smile could lighten up the whole world without her even trying, she was so enjoyable to be around. Moblit can't possibly understand how someone dull like Levi was friends with a happy-go-lucky person like Hange. 

Right now, Moblit was driving them to class on a cloudy Wednesday morning. It was snowing hard, which was understandable considering it was at the end of January. The radio was on at a low volume, all of them had coffee that Mobit treated them too with his dads money, and they all needed it because it was six in the morning. Hange and Levi had a lecture at seven while Moblit had one at 6:45. All different subjects, of course. They arrived to campus and he parked, shutting his car off. 

The three of them left the car, book bags hanging heavy on their shoulders and coffee hot in their freezing hands. Hange walked in between Moblit and Levi, holding her coffee with both hands, watching her breath ghost in front of her, fighting the falling snow to be seen. She looked over to see Levi on his phone, texting someone he assumed was Eren. Hange smiled and leaned over, "texting your boy toy?" she asked. 

Levi sent the message and looked up at her, sipping his coffee, which tasted like ass but he needed the caffeine. "Yeah, I haven't been able to talk to him much. Last time I saw him was two days ago, but he had a project so it's not like we did much. I fell asleep cause I had class early the next morning."

"Ah, that sucks shorty" Hange said and she wrapped her arm around Levi's shoulders, pulling him close in a comforting way. "You two will be able to hang out soon."

Moblit watched them at the corner of his eyes as they walked into the lecture building. He's seen friends have close bonds, but not to the point where they're touching like this all the time. And they both didn't seem to care too, like what they were doing wasn't wrong. 

When they departed to their lecture halls, Hange gave Moblit a quick kiss before walking up the stairs with Levi. Moblits lecture was on the first floor while Hange was on the fourth, Levi's being on the second. He watched them walk away, arms tangled with each other and then they disappeared out of his sight. 

He made a mental note to ask Eren about it later. 

-

It was on a Friday evening, everyone had finished their homework so they had the weekend to do whatever they wanted. Moblit had asked Hange to hang out with Eren and Levi, and without even thinking, Hange said yes. She convinced the gay couple to hang out with them in the lounge room in her building. Sasha was having a sleep over with Connie, and Hange knew for a fact that it wasn't just a regular sleep over. 

In the lounge room, it was huge. There was a kitchen and right next to it was the living room, comfortable couches and a pool table, air hockey table, huge flat screen TV and a couple other items. Levi and Hange were playing a racing game on the Xbox Moblit bought from home. They were sitting pressed against each other, shoving at one another to try and tip the other off, and soon enough they began to playfully yell at each other.

When the four of them got hungry, Eren and Moblit went to the kitchen to make some food. They decided on quesadillas, which were easy and quick to make, plus they sounded amazing at the moment. As they were making food, Moblit turned to Eren, who was grabbing cheese from the fridge. "Can I ask you something?"

Eren looked up at Moblit then, teal and caring eyes ready to answer. "Yeah sure, what's up man?"

Moblit leaned grabbed tortillas from the cabinet, "Do you ever get jealous when someone is around Levi?"

"No" Eren said almost too quick, but his answer seemed so sure. "I know that Levi doesn't want anyone else but me because he's told me, and if that ever happens then I'll have to accept it because I can't control what someone feels. Why? Are you and Hange having trouble?"

"We're not having trouble" he said as he began to make the quesadillas, "Just.. is Levi bi or something?"

Eren frowned at that, "where are you getting at, Moblit?"

The taller man frowned, "do you think Hange and Levi are.. _too_ close?"

"What the hell are you on about?" Eren finally turned to face Moblit, "They're best friends have been through stuff, of course they're close. Why? You think they're a thing?"

"I'm not saying they're a thing right now but-"

Eren stepped forward then, he didn't know when he became so protective of Hange but he's guessing it came with the package of dating Levi. "You think they _will_ become a thing? Why would you think that?"

"Well I don't know, maybe because they're constantly holding each other or touching each other in some way, and Hange sometimes blows me off to see Levi or-"

"Because they're friends, for fucks sake" Eren rolled his eyes, "They're best friends, attached to the hip and you can't change that. You have to accept that, you want one you get the other."

"I don't want the other"

The shorter mans eyebrows knitted together, stepping closer to Mobit so their chests were almost touching. "Well that's too. damn. bad"

Both of them stared at each other for a moment, completely forgetting about the quesadillas they were supposed to make. They didn't say anything, Eren was angry that Moblit would even suggest something like that. Levi didn't look straight in the slightest, and Hange was head over heels for Moblit. How _dare_ Moblit even _think_ about that?

"Um..is everything okay in here?"

They turned to see Hange and Levi standing in the door way, controllers still in their hands along with the head sets still on their heads. They stood close to each other, a curious look in both of their eyes as they watched their partners look like they were going to swing at each other. 

Eren was the first one to back away from Moblit and look at the two of the gamers, a smile on his face. "Yeah everything is fine. Quesadillas are almost done, go back to playing you game alright?"

Levi looked at him skeptically, "You sure, Eren?" he had a look in his eye as he went from Moblit to Eren. He didn't like how close they were, and he also didn't like how tense Eren looked. 

"I'm fine Vi" Eren said, and then he looked at Hange. "We're just talking, everything is okay. Alright?"

She looked at Moblit, then at Eren, nodding her head. She turned to Levi, wrapping her arm around his. "come on, let's finish the game" they both turned, arms interlocked as they walked back to the living room.

Eren turned to Moblit, the glare returning to his face. "You're a fucking idiot, you know that? What would Hange say when she heard what you just told me?"

Moblit frowned, "Eren.."

"No, finish making this shit on your own" Eren took a step back, "I'll pretend like this conversation didn't happen. I'm going back to Hange and Levi."

Without a second thought, Eren turned around and walked back to the living room. He sat down next to Levi, putting his arm around his shoulders and kissing his head. "who's winning?"

"Me!" Hange barked out a laugh, "just passed him!"

"Fuck off shitty glasses" Levi grumbled, allowing Eren to pull him in close for a kiss. 

After another ten minutes Moblit came back out to the living room with two plates. He held onto one and handed the other to Eren, who didn't spare him a second glance while he took the plate. Moblit sat down next to Hange, wrapping an arm around her, mirroring what Eren was doing to Levi. As he handed Hange a small portion of her quesadilla, he caught Eren glaring at him.

 _Fuck,_ he thought to himself. _Did I just fuck up?_

-

Days later, it was the beginning of February and classes were getting harder by the day. Their same schedule continued, Moblit driving Hange and Levi and they all took turns paying for coffee. Levi and Hange basically forgot about that night in the lounge when they walked in on Eren and Moblit, but the other two didn't forget. Every time the four of them decided to hang out, Eren didn't talk to Moblit and if he did, it was brief. 

He had gotten a text from Hange early this morning while he was asleep, saying she started her period and her cramps made her feel like she was going to throw up. That was five hours ago, it was a Saturday morning and Moblit always sleeps in on Saturdays. There was no missed call from Hange, and he instantly felt bad. That morning he went to the store to buy her all of her favorite snacks, returning to the housing building with bags in his hands for his girlfriend. 

What he expected when he walked into Hange's dorm was not what he got when he typed in the pass code to get inside. 

Both of the them were on Hange's bed. Levi and Hange. The black haired male was laying on his back, eyes closed and arms wrapped tightly around Hange. One hand was in her hair, the other was around her shoulders. She was cuddled close to his side, face buried in his neck, glasses were removed and set on the table next to the bed. One of their phones was on the night stand playing a soft sound that was meant to sooth people to sleep, and he recognized it to be Hange's playlist. 

Moblit frowned at the sight, anger and jealousy coursing through him. Of course Levi was here, he was always here. He went to drop the bags on the floor, but before they landed someone else grabbed them. Moblit turned to see Eren, "what are you doing here?"

"Trying to keep you from waking them up, apparently." Eren looked tired, but then again it was mid morning. "Levi called me to bring pain pills, I've been here for the past two hours. Sasha is in my dorm with Connie so I've been in here since."

"What the hell are they doing?" Moblit asked, pointing to Hange and Levi. 

"For Christs sake" Eren rolled his eyes, "this again? Hange wasn't feeling good, they do this every single month when she's on her period."

Moblit frowned at that, "why didn't see call me?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask them?"

"Huh?"

"Turn around."

Moblit turned around to see two pairs of eyes looking at him. One was pained, the other was a glare. Hange was looking at him, she looked so tired, but cautious because Moblit had started to raise his voice without even knowing. She still clung to Levi, the heating pad still plugged in and resting on her stomach. Hange was wrapped in the arms of Levi, who also looked tired, but very _very_ irritated. 

_Fuck._

"Moblit, are you okay?" Came Hange's soft voice, reaching her hand up to rub at her eyes.

"I brought you snacks, hun" Moblit said softly, grabbing the bags from Eren and kneeling down next to the bed. "All your favorites, I know you're hurting"

"You were starting to shout" Hange said, "everything alright?"

Levi watched Moblit with a wary eyes, his arms tight around Hange. His eyes went from Eren to Moblit, to be fair he had just woken up but he noticed the mood between Eren and Moblit. "Eren, tell me what's up. Don't lie to me, and you know when I know you're lying."

Eren looked down at Levi running a hand through his hair and sighing. "Moblit thinks you two like each other."

"Eren-"

_"what?"_

At the sound of Hange's voice, Levi was the first one to speak. He glared at Moblit, holding her close. "what the fuck, Moblit? Is that why you've been an ass to me this whole time?"

"Me?"Moblit looked up at Levi, "you've been rude to me since day one, threatening me and saying all this stuff."

"Levi is a little rough around the edges" Eren defended his boyfriend.

Hange spoke up next, "do you really not trust me, Moblit?"

Moblit frowned, "No, I do-"

"Then why do you think me and shorty like each other? We're best friends, nothing more. Plus.. Levi is gay, he's with Eren.. "

Eren watched over Moblits shoulder as Hange's eyes brimmed tears, and how Levi didn't let go of her. He stepped forward, putting a hand on Moblits shoulder. "Moblit, I think you should go."

Moblit looked up at Eren from where he was squatting, then back at Hange. She wasn't looking at him though, she had put her face back on Levi's chest. She looked like she was in pain, she didn't need his attitude. He sighed and stood up, leaving the bags on the floor. "I'll go, I'm sorry. Take care of her guys."

"Tch" Levi glared at Moblit as he walked out of the room, the door shutting behind him. His attention turned to his best friend, he could feel his neck get wet and he frowned, running his fingers through her hair again. "Don't worry about him Hange, I need you go get some sleep"

"He's just not used to your guys' friendship like I am" Eren comforted, sitting on the side of the bed next to them. "Give him some time, I'm sure he didn't mean it Hange."

She sniffled and felt another cramp hit her stomach, "I want to sleep" she said, her voice shaky.

"Then go to sleep" Levi lowered his voice, leaning his cheek on his friends' head. "Eren and I will be here when you wake up, right Eren?"

"Right" Eren rubbed Hange's shoulder, "goodnight Hange.."

"..goodnight guys.."

-

"I'm going to kill you"

"No, Levi, listen-"

"Oh I'll listen alright, listen to the sound of-"

"Will you listen to me? I-"

"You made her cry Moblit! Nobody makes her cry, nobody-"

Eren stepped in at that point, grabbing both of Levi's hands and turning Levi towards him. He watched as Levi's nose flared, it's only been a day since Hange and Moblits argument and Levi was feeling all the anger and confusion Hange was feeling. "Hey, knock it down a couple notches."

"But-"

"Levi, listen to me" Eren intertwined their fingers, "hear Moblit out"

Levi frowned at Eren but turned to Moblit again, who had his hands up in surrender. "explain. now."

"Okay okay" Moblit sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair. "I don't know as much as Eren does with you and Hange. So I don't know.. seeing you and Hange so close and not really knowing anything about your guys' dynamic I assumed things, which I shouldn't have but I did and.. and I'm sorry."

It was quiet for a moment between the three of them, both of them watching Levi's reaction to Moblits words. Eventually, Levi yanked his hands away from Eren and stepped towards Moblit, pointing a finger to the taller mans chest. Levi and Moblit were over a foot apart, but that didn't stop Levi from being so intimidating. "Fuck it up with Hange again, and I won't hesitate to skin you alive"

And with that, he turned around and left, walking back to Hange's room.

Moblit let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding, "My God, will he actually do that?"

Eren walked past him, looking over his shoulder as he walked. "Yeah probably, watch yourself man."

Then he was left alone, wondering what he could do to fix this.

-

February 14th was coming up and one thing all couples had in mind? Valentines day. Eren had been stressed to no end, making sure he prepared everything. He even helped Mobit apologize to Hange because for some reason, having Hange and Moblit fight stressed Levi out so anything to calm Levi down, Eren would do.

He shopped for flowers that Levi wouldn't hate as much, he grabbed other items like candles and food because he wanted to make Levi a dinner. He paid Connie fifty dollars to take Sasha somewhere for Valentines day, making sure Connie would not come back to the dorms. 

Eren was currently in the kitchen lounge, he had just finished making skillet cod with lemon and capers, shrmip on the side. He was rushing, simply because when he told Levi to show up at a certain time, his boyfriend always showed up a little earlier. It was a friday night, the first Valentines day Eren has celebrated in years. He was excited. 

He walked quickly back to his room, setting the plates on a TV tray and turning the Tv on. He dimmed the lights and lit a couple candles he placed around the room. He turned on Criminal Minds, him and Levi had been watching it for a couple days. He also checked under his bed, kicking stuff under it so the room would be cleaner. 

Soon enough, there was a knock on the door. "Hey Eren, I'm here. Open up, I may or may not have lost your dorm room key."

It was Levi. Eren stood up and straightened out his outfit, which was sweats and a sweatshirt. He told Levi not to dress up because they were staying in, and he breathed out a sigh of relief when he opened the door to see that Levi was dressed in sweatpants and one of Erens sweatshirts. "Hi" Levi greeted.

"Hey Vi" Eren smiled and opened the door wider, shutting it behind Levi as he walked in. 

"It smells good in here" Levi sniffed the air.

"Mm" Eren walked up behind Levi and wrapped his arms around the raven, leaning down and pressing a kiss against his neck. "I love you"

"Happy Valentines day to you too" Levi said with a soft smile, he untangled himself from Erens arms and sat down on Erens bed in front of a TV tray. "The food looks good"

Eren sat down as well, picking up his fork. "Dig in, it's my moms recipe"

They both dug into the meal, Levi complimented Eren, causing the younger man to blush. The food really was though, Eren really knew his way around the kitchen. Both of them talked as they ate, about their day and how school was going. This was the first time they were alone in about a month, actually spending time with each other because they've been so busy. Levi told Eren about another paper he was writing, and in turn Eren told Levi about this group math project he had to do that was mentally draining. 

As the night went on, Eren gave Levi the flowers and surprisingly Levi accepted them.

"I've never gotten flowers before" he had said, running his fingers over them. 

Eren looked at Levi like he was crazy, "Really?"

Levi shook his head, "no"

He frowned at that, "well, I'll get you flowers whenever you want them."

The rest of the night went smoothly, after the two ate dinner they cuddled up on Erens bed. Eren was laying on his back with his arms wrapped around Levi, the ravens head was on his chest as they watched Criminal Minds. It was nice and peaceful, they didn't have to worry about school or the next friendship issues they had to help solve. It was so quiet, so nice, Levi loved it. He loved nights like these, where he was with Eren and Eren only.

What he also loved though, was Erens hands rubbing on his body, tracing every inch of him over the layer of sweats he had on. Erens warm hands went from his neck, chest, arms, stomach, then dangerously low to his thighs. "Eren" Levi spoke lowly, he could feel himself getting hard. " _Eren_ "

He could hear the neediness in Levi's voice, and it made him smile. Eren leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Levi's forehead, then to his ear. "You honestly think I invited you here just so we can have dinner and watch TV?"

Levi rubbed his clothed crotch against Eren side, as his leg was swung over Erens thighs to allow him to cuddle up against him. "Not really"

"Yeah" Eren gripped hard at Levi's thigh, slowly moving them so Levi was now on his back, him being on top. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Levi's lips, smiling as Levi didn't hesitate to kiss him back. He felt Levi's arms wrap around his neck, bringing him down. Eren moved his knee between Levi's legs, rubbing up against his clothed crotch and swallowing up the moan Levi let out.

The ravens hands gripped Erens hair as they made out, he moaned softly and moved down to create more friction down south. He groaned again when he felt a hand slip under his sweatshirt, he pulled back and looked up at Eren, his cheeks flushed and eyes full of need. "I hope you're not planning on keeping those clothes on." he breathed out.

Eren chuckled, "and what are you gonna do about that?"

"Going too" Levi said as he leaned up on his elbows, "if you're going to seduce me Yeager, proper grammar will have to be used."

"My goal is to have you barely speaking by the end of the night"

Levi tilted his head up and smirked at Eren, "then use your tongue" 

The younger male didn't need to be told twice. He quickly removed his sweatshirt and tossed it aside on the floor and turned to look down at Levi, making eye contact with the raven as he took off Levi's pants, throwing those to the floor too. "Do my a favor Vi, take off your boxers and get on your knees. Keep your sweatshirt on, I'm gonna need something to hold on to"

"You can hold onto my hair"

"Tempting" Eren chuckled and gave Levi's hip a playful slap, "now get on your knees" 

Levi was hard as a rock at this point, God he loved it when Eren did stuff to him. Usually it was Levi doing things, but lately Eren had been slowly doing more and more with him. He took off his boxers and his breath hitched when cool air hit his dick, but he wasted no time and tossed those aside, rolling over onto his stomach and pushing him up onto his knees. 

He felt Erens hands rub over his back side and his thighs, his hands were soft and warm to the touch and it only turned Levi on more. He rested his head against the pillow, waiting in anticipation but all he heard was rustling from behind him. "What are you doing?" Levi asked, his voice slightly muffled by the pillow. 

"Just relax Vi" Eren spoke, he had opened the box under his bed and set some stuff aside on the bed. He put a towel under Levi, caressing his thighs and smiling when he saw Levi's sweatshirt ride up to his chest were his stomach was now exposed. God, he loved Levi's body.

"Eren I'm getting- oh _fuuuuck yes_." Levi had almost teased Eren again, but then he felt his boyfriends tongue tracing his rim. "Fuck, I love this shit" he said, digging his fingers into the pillow and breathing out another moan. "Oh God Eren, Jesus, you're so good with your tongue. God, I love you." He arched his back and pushed back against Erens tongue, moaning when he felt Erens hot tongue slip inside him. 

Erens nails dug into Levi's cheeks as he kept his lover spread apart for him, not caring about the marks that he would leave. He's learned that Levi loved getting hickeys, he loved getting spanked and he loved it when Eren left marks. Levi liked a little bit of pain when it came to sexual interactions, and Eren did as well, except he liked inflicting it. Call him weird, but whatever. He pulled away and slid a finger into Levi's hole, smiling at the moan Levi let out. As he moved his finger around, he spoke in a low voice. "You trust me, Levi?"

"Ngh, yeah, oh fuck" Levi moaned as he felt Eren slip in another finger, loving the slight burn. 

"Put your hands behind your back and intertwine your fingers" Eren said.

"Huh?"

Eren curled his fingers up inside of Levi, causing Levi's breath to hitch. "You heard me."

Something inside Levi felt warm, and he adjusted himself so it was comfortable enough for him to put his hands behind his back and intertwined his fingers. He whimpered when Eren took his fingers out and he was at a loss for a second, before he felt something around his wrists, causing him to tense. "Eren"

"Is this okay?" Eren asked slowly, putting the zip tie around Levi's wrists. "Levi?"

He thought for a moment, but then nodded his head against the soft pillow. "Yes, I trust you."

That made Eren smile. He tightened the zip tie around Levi's wrists, watching the raven close his eyes peacefully. He made sure the scissors were close in reach on the bed and he went behind Levi, slowly sliding his two fingers into Levi's wet hole once more, listening to the low and prolonged moan coming from him. "that feel good?" he asked, pressing a kiss to Levi's right cheek, thanking God that Levi was one of those people that shaved and cleaned everywhere. 

"Mm, yeah" Levi whimpered and he felt another finger slip into him, "oh God Eren"

Eren worked him open, curling his fingers and purposely not touching Levi's prostate. That wasn't his goal, he wouldn't hit his prostate with his fingers. His goal right now was to open Levi up, and Levi began to notice but chose not to comment on it. Levi just sat back and enjoyed himself, releasing all his pretty little moans and curses in the pillow, letting Eren know that he was doing exceptional. Eren had taken off his sweatpants with his other hand, and then his boxers. "God, I love you"

"You too" Levi breathed out, he was opened up, he could feel it. It made him more excited than he already was, he felt his pre cum dripping onto the towel below him. "mm, Eren..."

"Can I fuck you?" Eren blurted out, grazing his finger against Levi's prostate.

Levi whimpered, "fuck Eren, I've been waiting for months. Yes"

Eren nodded his head and grabbed the condom after taking his fingers out of Levi, opening it and rolling it onto his cock. He grabbed the lube and coated his cock with it, making sure he could avoid hurting the raven when he entered him. After tossing the bottle of lube on the floor, Eren grabbed Levi's hip with one hand and held his own dick with the other. "Ready?"

"Ready" Levi said, a smile ghosting his face. God, he's been waiting for this for months. 

He felt Erens tip enter him, and then it _burned_. Levi's breath hitched and he screwed his eyes shut when he felt Eren was halfway in. He was about to tell Eren to pull out but when he felt his lover lean over him, pressing small kisses to the back of his shoulder. "Shh, it's alright Vi, I'm right here"

Levi gasped out, moaning in pain and in pleasure. "Oh _God_..."

Eren watched Levi's face as he slowly eased inside of him, when he bottomed out he saw Levi's eyes well up. "Hey, hey, hey.. need me to pull out?"

"Stay" Levi breathed out, looking up at Eren. "It's been awhile, just.. just stay"

Eren nodded his head and pressed kisses to Levi's clothed shoulder, as he still had Erens sweatshirt on, and he whispered sweet nothings into Levi's ear. Moments passed by and he watched as Levi visibly relaxed under him, and then received a nod from Levi. At the signal Eren had begun to move, easily pumping in and out of Levi, moaning at the tight heat that enveloped him. He leaned up now so he wasn't looming over Levi anymore, but grabbing the ravens hips with both of his larger hands, and he picked up speed. 

Nothing could be heard but the moans of both boys and the sound of skin slapping against skin, and the TV in the back ground. Levi was lost in his own little world, arching his back as much as he could so Eren could aim to his his prostate. Eren decided to change his angle after a couple times and he gripped Levi's hips hard, slamming into him and smiling in victory when Levi let out a pleasurable cry of his name. "Right there, found it" he said, and he began pounding at the spot. 

Under the relentless pounding at his prostate, Levi was a withering mess. Countless moans escaped his parted his lips, his face was pressed deep into the pillow. He could feel the zip tie dig into his skin, and the slight hits to his cheeks made him feel like he could slip under cloud nine. He's never done this before, he's bottomed but never had his hands tied or anything, it feels nice to let Eren have control of everything.

The raven gasped as a hand tangled itself in his hair, another grabbing his shoulder and pulling him up into a sitting position on top of Erens thighs. A deep pressure built in the pit of Levi's stomach and he moaned out Erens name, tilting his head back onto Erens shoulders. "Of fuck" He moved his hips slightly forward, moaning again. " _Eren_ "

Eren smirked, moving his hand down onto Levi's lower stomach and pressed down, earning a groan from the raven. He placed one hand on Levi's hip and the other reached up, cupping Levi's neck and adding no pressure as he began to move his hips, pounding repeatedly into Levi all over again.

Levi could feel that familiar feeling in his stomach all over again. The pressure, his hands being tied, Erens warm hands all over his skin and holding him in place, the deep moans in his ear. It almost felt like too much, this didn't feel like it did with everyone else, Eren was much different, not to mention a lot bigger than everyone else. He began to sweat, "Eren, oh fuck, oh shit"

"Gonna come for me, Vi?" He whispered in Levi's ear when he saw Levi beginning to sweat.

"Mm, yeah" Levi began to breath heavier. 

Keeping a close eye on Levi, he tightened his hand around Levi's neck and wrap his hand around Levi's cock and began pumping. "Come on baby, come on"

He wouldn't ever get used to this, he doesn't think. The way Levi's whole body tenses under his grip, the way his eyes screw shut or the hot and heavy cry of his name leaving Levi's lips. When Levi started to go limp against him, Eren released the grip on his neck, watching as Levi took in a big breath and began to flinch of after shocks. Eren kissed Levi's cheeks, "can I keep going?"

Levi opened one eye to peek over at Eren, red in the face. He nodded, breathing heavy. "Yeah, finish off"

Eren didn't waste time after that, he gently shoved Levi back on the bed and gripped the boys' hips. He checked in to make sure Levi was okay, and after seeing the peaceful look on Levi's face, he began to slam into Levi again. "Fuuuck Vi, you feel so good, shit"

Levi was still flinching from the after shocks of his orgasm every time Eren pounded into him, his legs were shaking and he felt Eren constantly pulling him up but that didn't stop him from picking up his speed. "Eren, oh my god, I think.. I think I might come again, oh shit."

"Yeah?" Eren moaned out, he could feel his orgasm building up inside of him, ready to release into the latex free condom wrapped around his cock. "Oh. I'm gonna come, Vi" he gripped Levi's hips tighter, he was so going to leave bruises on the pale skin. 

He watched as Levi's body tensed a second time, the raven almost sobbing under him as he came again. Erens eyes rolled to the back of his head as he slammed into Levi once more, coming into the condom with a cry of Levi's name. He held onto Levi's shaking thighs as he slowly rode out his orgasm, moaning softly. "Oh fuuuuck" he whispered, slowly pulling out of Levi's hole. He took the condom off and tossed it in the trash, turning back to Levi's shaking figure. "Gonna clean you up, alright?"

If Levi heard him, he made no indication that he did. Eren quickly used the towel to clean Levi's stomach, cock, balls, and backside, apologizing every time Levi would flinch. He put the towel in the hamper and grabbed the scissors, sliding them under the zip tie and cutting the hard plastic. "go ahead and lay down, I'll dress ya"

The raven didn't need to be told twice. He laid right down on his stomach, letting Eren roll him over on his stomach and put a clean pair of boxers on him, followed by his sweatpants. Levi feels so tired, his legs were still shaking, his neck was sore, his wrists hurt, but it was a good dull pain. His hips also hurt, but he wouldn't tell Eren any of this unless he asked. 

Eren was quick to change back into his clothes and grab some water for both him and Levi. He laid down, taking a sip of his water and opening one for Levi, holding it to Levi's lips. "Drink" he said softly, smiling when Levi tilted his head, pressing his lips against the rim and drinking a little bit. When he was done, Eren pulled the water bottle away and set both of them down on the night stand. He laid on his back, pulling Levi close to him, kissing his head. "You okay?"

"Tired" Levi mumbled into Erens chest, "Wanna sleep"

"Did I finally tire out the sex addict?"

Levi gave him a pointed glare, "watch your mouth"

Eren laughed and kissed Levi's forehead, "let's sleep Vi, I'm tired too."

"Goodnight hot stuff" Levi buried his face into Erens neck, breathing softly.

Eren gave him a gentle look, "Goodnight Vi, rest up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so bad at endings lol ewww but yeah, i hope you guys enjoyed! leave kudos :)


	23. Drink Up, Jager Bomb!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> erens birthday! :)

School stressed everyone out to no end. Midterms were a bitch, the amount of math problems Eren had to do almost made him lose his shit and Levi wrote so many papers he thinks he might get carpool tunnel in the near future. It was exhausting to say the least.

The weather had finally started to warm up at Maria, going up from ten degrees to a good forty and sometimes fifty degrees. Eventually the gang shed their huge winter coats and only wore a jacket with a hat and gloves, and there wasn't ice on the ground anymore, which was also a plus.

On the downside though, Levi and Eren had only seen each other a couple of times since Valentines Day. They were both so busy with school that they never actually hung out and talked about their day, it turned into a routine of quick sex at some random time of day and that was it because they were both simply _too_ tired to do anything else. 

It wasn't a bad thing though, that's what Eren told himself whenever he would think about it. Most people would be upset that they didn't see their partner a lot, but Eren and Levi were different. They did not need to see each other all the time, they could go a whole week without seeing each other and it would be like nothing ever happened. Them dating each other was easy, especially after they learned how to read each others' body language. 

With midterms finally finishing up, Levi's nerves were through the roof. Spring break was coming up, which also meant that Erens birthday was right around the corner. He shopped with Mikasa, trying his best to find the perfect gift for Eren but coming up short most of the time. Him and her have gotten closer though, Levi teaching her some french and Mikasa learning more about her family and where they came from.

For spring break, the six of them wanted to go to Florida, which included Hange, Moblit, Eren, Levi, Mikasa, and Annie. Erens parents paid for the hotel they would be staying at, and the tickets for everyone as well since they claimed they had money to spare, which instantly made everyone jealous. Grisha simply said it was one of Erens birthday gifts. 

Speaking of birthday gifts, Levi had finally figured out what to get Eren for his birthday. Lately, Eren had been fascinated by jewelry. He had changed his stud in his nose to a ring, and even went to get his ears pierced a little after Valentines Day. Levi practically dragged Mikasa to a jewelry store and she helped him pick out a necklace to engrave. They had decided on a small black titanium pendant that was in the shape of a rectangular block with four blank sides. It was hooked onto a bright silver chain and Levi instructed the worker to engrave the date the two started dating on it in silver. 

It was quite a hefty purchase, but Levi didn't even blink when he handed the worker his card to charge.

Still, it was not his own money. It was the money he stole from Jean. 

Now though, it was the day they left for Florida. Their flight left at a early nine in the morning, and everyone was happier than ever to get out of school. All of them were packing their bags, and Levi had just came back from the jewelry store, hiding a black box in his pocket along with the hefty receipt. He had walked into his dorm to find Mike already gone, _I'll ream his ass for that later,_ he thought to himself as he went to his side of the room, grabbing all of his previously packed bags and leaving his dorm room. He was meeting Eren downstairs. 

He had to take the elevator because all of his shit was too heavy. The ride was silent and when the elevator dinged, he walked out into the lounge and smiled softly when he saw Eren sitting in one of the chairs, wearing comfortable clothes. "You ready to go to Florida?" he asked, walking up to Eren.

Teal eyes looked up to him, a smile gracing Erens face as he stood up. "I'm ready to go see a beach again, and I'm excited to celebrate my birthday. Florida has places like SPARK, right?" he asked, grabbing all of his bags and following Levi out of their student housing building and making their way towards where their friends were. 

Levi shrugged his shoulders, "I asked Petra and they have chains all over southern US so yeah, and where we're going, there's going to be _plenty_ of clubs and stuff to go to"

"Don't we need to be twenty one to get into all of these places?" Eren asked, looking over at Levi, but then he saw the smirk on the ravens face. Eren paled, "oh, you didn't."

"I did" Levi said with a straight face, "everyone's fake ID's are in my bag and you'll all get them when we get to Florida"

Eren looked at him like he was crazy, "you know, sometimes I completely forget you can do all of this illegal stuff and get away with it"

"You just have a very talented boyfriend" Was all Levi said, he squinted when he saw Mikasa's familiar car. "Let's go, they're waiting for us. I think Hange and Moblit are driving separate to the air port."

They all loaded their bags into Mikasas car, which surprisingly it all fit. The ride was very compacted, Levi was sitting on Erens lap in the back seat so they could fit all of their bags into the car. Not that Eren minded, he held onto Levi tight like the raven was a small child, and that caused Levi to pout the entire ride to the airport. "I wish I was taller" Levi mumbled to himself with his arms crossed, "then you would be sitting on my lap."

At Levi's words, Eren wanted to laugh. He had his arms wrapped around Levi's waist and his thumbs were tracing over the marks on Levi's wrists from having his arms tied in bed the previous night, he pressed a kiss against Levi's sweatshirt covered shoulder. "I like you being small, it's nice."

The shorter man crossed his arms over his chest, "we're like a foot apart"

"And I love it" Eren held him tighter and leaned back in the seat, smiling when he felt Levi lean back against him and buried his face in his neck. 

It wasn't another twenty minutes till they got to the airport, and another hour until they boarded the plane to Florida. After loading their bags in the plane, the six of them sat down in the plane. Each side had two seats, in front was Mikasa and Annie, then Hange and Moblit in the middle, and then Eren and Levi. Mikasa, Hange, and Levi had the window seats. Levi had traded his airpods for regular headphones since he needed Bluetooth for them to work, so he was using a pair of Erens. He cuddled up against Erens side when he felt his boyfriend wrap an arm around his shoulders. Levi peeked up at Eren, who already had his eyes closed and after pressing a kiss to his neck, Levi followed suit, shutting his eyes.

Hange could not sleep at all through the flight, she rarely was ever on a plane and she may or may not have a fear of heights. She had one of her hands intertwined with Moblits while he fell asleep, just like everyone else was. She was getting bored, reading a book she downloaded on her phone quickly became boring. Peeking forward, she saw Mikasa and Annie fast asleep cuddled up together and then she turned around, seeing her best friend cuddled up to Eren. His head was laying on Erens shouder, his body twisted to cuddle against him, his black hair falling in his face. 

Eren had his arm wrapped around the raven, his head turned and buried in Levi's dark hair. His eyes were closed peacefully, headphones in his ears and his other hand holding his phone. They looked so peaceful, no snarky comments from Levi and no angry look on Erens face. It was nice, and too rare to not document. Hange smiled and grabbed her phone, turning to her camera and aiming it towards the couple. She turned her sound off and took the picture, making a mental note to send it to both of the boys later, and Erwin. 

_Too good to pass up,_ she thought to herself as she snuggled back against Moblit, closing her eyes and relaxing the rest of the flight. 

-

Hours later their plane landed in Florida. All three couples awoke from their slumber and grabbed their luggage, getting off the plane and leaving the airport. As soon as they all stepped outside, they were welcomed with hot weather, easily in the eighties or a little higher.

"Woohoo! We're in Florida!" Hange had screamed out, she was the only person besides Eren who had any energy after being on a nine hour flight. 

"This place is so warm, and colorful!" Eren smiled as he looked around, holding his hand above his eyes to block the sun.

Mikasa sent Eren a glare, "hey genius, how are we supposed to get to our hotel from here? We don't have a car."

"And I do not want to take an Uber, they're sketchy" Annie finally spoke up, she was so quiet some of them honestly forget she can even speak. 

Moblit frowned, "I'm sure we can rent a car or something."

Eren looked down at Levi, who was leaning on his left leg and texting someone on his phone. The raven hadn't set a thing since they landed. Curiously, Eren peeked over Levi's shoulder to see him texting an unknown number. He raised his eyebrows, "Vi?"

"I got the car taken care of" was all Levi said as he shoved his phone back in his pocket.

Hange looked over at Levi, raising an eyebrow. "Did you...?"

Levi gave her a sly look, "I did" 

Just then, a car pulled up in front of them. It was a nicely painted light blue 1959 Cadillac Convertible. The car was so old but it looked like it was just made yesterday. Levi was the first to take a step forward to the man who drove the car, whilst the other five simply stared, their eyes wide and practically bugging out of their heads at the sight. The man who drove the car towered over Levi as he got out and simply handed the keys to him, a polite smile on his face. "courtesy of Perta Ral, have a nice vacation Levi." the man said.

Levi nodded in acknowledgement and watched the man walk down the sidewalk, he turned to his friends, holding up the key to the car. He almost laughed at their faces, especially Erens. "You guys ready for a drive?" he asked, a smirk on his face. 

"How'd you get a car like that?" Moblit asked, "Did you rent it?"

"No, someone just owes me" He nodded towards the car, popping the trunk. "load your shit and let's go. Now"

Nobody said anything and they loaded their bags into the trunk of the car, which was surprisingly bigger than they thought. Hange went to call shot gun, and since there wasn't separate seats, Levi let her sit on the other side of Eren. In the front seat was Hange, Eren, and Levi who was behind the wheel. The back seat had Moblit, Mikasa, and Annie. Levi shoved the key in the ignition and turned over the engine, smiling as he heard the sound of the engine. "Listen to her, she sounds great" he said, putting his sunglasses on.

Eren looked over at Levi like he was crazy, "this is so nice, how did you get this car?" he asked.

Levi leaned over, pressing a kiss to Erens cheek. "Petra's fiance is a rich guy, plus he likes me. All it took was one phone call and I could pick any car in the lot" he said and looked in front of him. "Now, let's go."

They drove down the Florida streets, it reminded Levi and Hange a lot of California. Everyone was showing so much skin, there were couples everywhere. Everyone had convertible cars, blasting music, small businesses and not to mention they were right by a huge body of water. The wind blew aimlessly in all of their faces, Hange turned the radio up and connected her phone to play her playlist. They all knew all of the words to each song so they all sang along, their hair messed up by the breeze without a care in the world. 

When they arrived to the hotel, which was huge, Levi swung into a parking spot and turned the car off. Everybody hopped out of the Cadillac and grabbed their bags from the trunk. Levi had shoved the keys into his pocket so he wouldn't lose them and he, like the rest of their friends, followed Eren into the hotel. 

Once inside, they all felt a blast of cool air. This place was huge, everything inside was marble, they had water fountains inside and a wall sized aquarium on the left side. Eren lead his friends to the front desk, smiling politely at the lady at the computer. "Hi, I'm checking in under the name of Grisha Yeager"

She looked nice, her blonde hair was curled around her shoulders. Her make up was simple eye shadow and pink lipstick, and she wore a nice polo shirt that complimented her skin. She typed on her computer, "Hi, welcome to Florida Springs Hotel, have you been here before?"

Eren shook his head, "nope, first time in Florida. We're here for spring break"

"Also someones birthday!" Hange interrupted, ruffling Erens hair.

That caught her attention, "Oh? When is your birthday?" she asked as she looked for their room keys.

"The thirtieth" Eren answered, leaning his elbow on Levi's shoulder. "so, tomorrow"

"Well, if you call down in the morning we can bring you some free ice cream cakes to your room, and free breakfast too. Oh, here" She turned and grabbed tickets from her desk, "are you all over the age of twenty one?"

"Yes" Levi answered before anyone said anything. "Eren is turning twenty one tomorrow."

Eren sent Levi a small glare and before he said anything, he was handed their room keys and six tickets. "Those are your room keys, and there's a big party going on at the rink. It's a club partnered with SPARK, they're combining to celebrate spring break. Everyone is going."

Hange grabbed the tickets from Erens hand, "we'll be there!"

Levi's eyes racked over the woman, he caught her name tag. Angel. He frowned when he noticed her staring at Eren a little too long, and before his idiotic boyfriend said anything else he popped in. "Yeah, we'll be there. Let's go Eren, we got a bed waiting for us" he grabbed Erens hand, walking away from the desk.

Eren frowned, looking down at Levi. "What? She was nice"

"Keep walking"

The six of them talked about the party as they loaded into the double elevator, which was double the size of a normal elevator like the one in their dorm. It was glass too, on the side of the building so they could see their surroundings. The hotel was right next to a beach, they could see people surfing and laying on the beach. Eren, Mikasa, Annie, and Moblit were basically pressed against the glass as they looked at everything. Hange and Levi stayed back, just smiling at them. The two of them were aware that Mikasa, Annie, and Moblit had never seen a beach before and they were determined to change that.

When the elevator dinged, they all grabbed their bags and walked down the hall. Hange and Moblit had their own room, as well as Mikasa and Annie, along with Eren and Levi. Eren distributed the room keys to everyone, their rooms were all next to each other. When they got to their rooms Moblit spoke up. "How about we unpack our stuff and then meet up downstairs in an hour or so? We can go out for dinner, I'll pay"

"As long as your paying it's a date" Hange smiled, holding onto Moblits arm and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"We should make a plan for the week" Annie spoke up, "are we only going to have one car the entire time, Levi?"

The raven shrugged, "right now we have the one, but I can get two more easily if you want me too. They probably won't be here until tomorrow night at the latest."

Mikasa twirled her room key in her hand, "How about this. We meet up in an hour and go out to eat, maybe tour the place a bit. Then tomorrow is Erens birthday, so we can go to that party at the clubs. We have five days after that, four of doing stuff and one of packing up and leaving pack to Maria so we can be back in time for school to start. So after celebrating Erens birthday, we go with the flow after that?"

"Sounds like a plan" Eren smiled, "I don't know about you guys but my arms hurt from carrying all this stuff."

"Me too" Annie said, "let's go to our room Mika, I want to nap."

Mikasa kissed Annie's temple, "course"

The six of them walked to their rooms. Eren unlocked the door for him and Levi, swinging it open and both of the boys stood there in shock at the room before them. The room color was a dull gold/light brown paint, a white rug covered the hardwood floor in front of the large king sized bed, which had countless pillows on it. The blankets were a bright white, matching the rug on the floor and couch on the side of the room. There was a bathroom on the other side, along with a closet with a glass door. In front of the bed was a glass wall, showing the view of the ocean next to the hotel. There were double doors, which led to a patio.

"Holy shit" Levi's eyes were wide as he stepped into the room, "It's so.. big."

"That's what he said" Eren shut the door behind them. "Let's get settled in."

Levi nodded and walked across the room to the closet, setting his bags down on the floor and squatted down, silently beginning to unpack his things. Eren watched him, an eyebrow raised when Levi didn't give him a snarky comment back after what he said. He set his luggage down on the floor and walked over to his boyfriend, he stood behind him and rested his hands on Levi's tense shoulders. "You okay?" he asked, digging his fingers into Levi's shoulders, massaging lightly. 

A sigh came from Levi's lips when he felt Erens fingers dig into his shoulders, "that feels good" he said, leaning back so Erens fingers could dig deeper. 

"You haven't made any smart ass comment since we checked in" Eren said softly, continuing his massage. "Since we were at the desk actually, was it the lady at the front desk?"

Levi said nothing. 

"It was" Eren almost wanted to laugh, just a month ago Levi almost killed Moblit for being jealous of him and now Levi was jealous of some girl. Eren was as straight as a circle, Levi knew that. "Babe, I love you and only you."

"I know" Levi said, still looking down at his unzipped suitcase. 

Eren held out his hand and smiled when Levi took it. He helped Levi stand up, pressing his front against Levi's back. He wrapped his arms around Levi, interlocking them in front of Levi's stomach and resting his chin upon Levi's shoulder. "You're not jealous of some random girl working a desk job, are you?" he asked softly, pressing a kiss to Levi's neck. 

The raven sighed and tilted his head back, "No, I'm not." he breathed out. "I'm just tired, I want to unpack and then eat."

"Yeah" Eren rubbed Levi's stomach with his thumb, "you wanna shower?"

Levi nodded his head. "Yeah, I feel gross. Shower with me?"

"Can we do more than just shower?"

"Yeah, come on Yeager"

-

Just as promised, an hour later everyone unpacked all their belongings and met downstairs. Eren and Levi were the last ones to arrive, Levi with swollen lips and slightly messy hair and Eren with flushed cheeks and sweating a bit. No one chose to comment on it though, they had all changed into more Florida-like clothes and were starving. They all loaded into the car in the same seats as before when they arrived, Levi started the car and then his face blanked. He turned to look at everyone. "I have no idea where we're going to eat."

Moblit looked up from his phone, "There's one by the beach just three miles from here, it has a huge menu, a vegetarian one too" 

Annie looked up at that, "you remembered I'm vegetarian?"

"I'm very observant" Moblit said with a polite smile, he handed Levi his phone. "Follow the map, it has a really nice view of the ocean."

Levi took Moblits phone and started the maps, putting his phone on the magnetic phone holder above the radio and backed out of the parking spot, leaving the parking lot and following the map to said restaurant. 

Everyone besides Levi looked around at the populated city. People looked so kind here, couples walking down the street in their swinsuits and other skimpy outfits. Plenty of people writing chalk on the side walks, riding their bikes, on hover boards, just laughing and having a good time. Eren made a mental note to check out some of the small stores after his birthday. According to the time, the sun would be setting in a good two hours at the soonest. 

Three miles later they arrived to the restaurant, the car was shut off and they all walked inside. Moblit led the group inside, holding Hange's hand. "Hi" he greeted walking up to the hostess, "we have six of us, do you have a table or a wide spread booth available?"

She turned to them, a smile on her face as she grabbed six menus. "I do, booth was just cleaned. Are you all over twenty one?" 

"Yes" Levi said, his arms crossed over his chest.

If she knew Levi was lying, she didn't question it. With a bright smile she nodded, "Of course, follow me this way and I will get you all started on some new wine samples!"

The six of them were lead to a booth at the back corner of the restaurant. The walls of this place were glass, and their booth showed an easy view of the ocean and the sun that would begin to set. The booth was shaped in a circle. Annie and Mikasa were sat on the end, Hange and Moblit in the middle and Eren and Levi on the outside. They were all handed menus and the hostess, they learned her name was Emily, got their order of drinks and promised wine samples as she walked away.

Mikasa eyed Levi suspiciously, "We're not over twenty one, so why do you keep saying we are?"

Levi looked at her above his menu, "because I can" he simply said, looking back down at his menu.

She rolled her eyes at her cousin, "tell me."

Everyones eyes landed on Levi and he sighed,leaning bag and digging into his pockets to pull out six forms of ID's. He handed each of them an ID, keeping his own in his wallet. "I made some ID's for us to get into events and stuff" he said.

"Levi this is illegal" Mikasa said, she looked at Eren. "were you in on this?"

Her adoptive brother looked at her after observing his own fake ID, "why would you think I know how to do this."

"You can make these anywhere in Long Beach" Hange spoke up, choosing to defend her friend. 

"I think they're kind of cool" Moblit said, "they look real, mine says I'm twenty two"

Levi gave Moblit a teasing glare, "because you look older than the rest of us. One day while we all keep our hair color you'll be all the way gray."

Moblit pouted, "I don't look _that_ old"

"You act like an old man"

"No I don't. At least I can reach the top shelf"

"You want to go there Moblit? Well at least I- hmph!"

Eren had reached over and covered Levi's mouth with his hand, rolling his eyes at the ravens child like behavior and looking towards Hange, who had tugged at Moblits shirt to get his attention. "You two are not allowed to argue the entire time we're here, that's my birthday wish."

Levi grunted and shoved Erens hand off of his mouth, "we were just bickering, at least we're getting along."

Moblit nodded his head, "he's right, you know"

"Huh, Moblit admitting that I'm right? Never thought I would see the day" Levi said smugly as he leaned back against the booth.

"You two are ridiculous" Mikasa wrapped her arm around Annie, who leaned into her side.

The hostess, Emily, came back with their drinks minutes later and asked what each of them would like to order and if they wanted wine samples. The six of them showed her their fake ID's after ordering their food, and she walked away with a promise of some wine samples. Levi would be the only one not drinking any wine since he would be driving back to the hotel.

The six of them talked amongst themselves for the next twenty or so minutes, Moblit and Levi bickering whilst Hange, Eren, Annie, and Mikasa laughed at them. They were brought their food later on, and as soon as the food arrived the table went silent because the group of friends were just that hungry. Besides the snacks on the plane, the six of them haven't eaten all day. After tasting the food, the five talked about how delicious the wine was and they later found out it was only available in this city. It wouldn't circle the United States for another couple weeks.

Now, Eren does not condone driving after having alcohol, but seeing the frown on Levi's face when they spoke about how good the wine was made him want to give Levi some. He looked down at his wine glass, which was half way gone. Eren was a light weight, he would admit it, so half a glass made him feel some type of way. He took another drink and then while the other four were distracted by either food or conversation, he turned to Levi, who was sipping his tea, and nudged his shoulder. 

With an arched eyebrow, Levi looked up at him. "what?" he asked, setting his drink back down on the table. 

Eren held his wine glass towards Levi, a silent question of _would you like to try some?_ lingering in his eyes. 

The raven looked in between Eren and the wine glass, "But I'm driving with a fake license, a car that is under someone elses name, in a whole other state"

"Thought you always broke the rules?" 

A twinkle sparkled in Levi's stormy grey eyes, something that Eren could not, for the life of him, understand. Sometimes Levi got that look when someone would bring up the fact that he isn't the _best_ person in the world, not a good role model and such. Levi looked at the wine glass and took it, looking down at the deep purple colored wine and bringing the glass to his lips. He eyed everyone else, making sure no one else saw him take a quick sip of wine out of Erens glass.

Wow, everyone was right. This wine is _really_ good. It gave him a warm feeling as it traveled down his throat. Levi only took a very small sip though, just enough to taste and he handed the glass back to Eren. "It's good" was all he said, before turning back to his plate and eating his salad. 

Dinner was amazing. Moblit didn't bat an eye when the bill was handed to him, and Levi had made a joke about "using daddy's money", and that caused them to bicker as they walked out of the restaurant. The sun had already started to set, and it turns out that everyone was tired. Eren had made the decision to go back to the hotel so they can get a full nights sleep and shower, and tomorrow they would meet up and celebrate his birthday. What Eren did not know, was that the five of them already made their plans to spend the day with Eren. They made their own schedule behind Erens back before they even left for Florida. 

So now, they were back at the hotel. Levi ad locked up the car nice and good, and they all walked back to their own rooms. Eren felt tired and full, he really needs to start working out again because he feels like he just ate a full course meal. Levi was already in the shower and he was next, grabbing clothes from the closet and entering the bathroom, Levi's music on full blast as he showered. 

They showered and decided to lay in silence the rest of the night. Levi's phone was charging on the night stand playing some somber night time sleep music while they laid together. Eren was on his back, head on the pillow and eyes drooping while Levi was cuddled into Erens side, head on his chest, his eyes drooping as well. Eventually they fell asleep, wrapped in each others arms for hours on end. 

-

The next morning Eren woke up with something in between his legs, something warm around him. Warm and wet, and it was moving, it felt _good_. He groaned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and he heard a slurping sound from down below, and he instantly knew what was happening. "Oh God..." he moaned out, keeping his arm over his eyes. He knew what it was, he knew it was lips, and he knew who's lips it was. He also knew he was rock hard inside of said persons mouth.

For some reason, Eren was already close to orgasm. He uncovered his eyes to look down and he could have came at the sight. Levi was only in his boxers, ass in the air as his face was buried in Erens crotch, easily swallowing Erens cock around his swollen lips. He moaned again and bucked his hips up, watching as Levi wasn't even fazed as he sucked him harder. "oh shit, Levi.. fuckk.. keep going."

The raven didn't plan on stopping, he simply kept on bobbing his head up and down on Erens cock. His hands were on Erens hips to steady himself, and soon a hand carded through his hair before grabbing it. Levi winced at the tight grip but nonetheless, kept on with his motions. His jaw was tired and was really hoping Eren would come soon, it was hard enough getting Eren rock hard in his sleep.

Eren could feel it, the feeling in the pit of his stomach. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and without warning he came in Levi's mouth, shoving the ravens head down. Levi could barely breath, Erens cock was blocking his air way but he waited until he helped Eren ride out his orgasm. When the hand in his hair loosened, he lifted his head and turned, gasping his breath and coughing a little. He wiped his mouth and turned to Eren, crawling up his body and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Happy nineteenth birthday, Eren."

"Mm" Eren opened his eyes lazily, tracing Levi's jaw with his fingers. "God, you amaze me Vi. Never been woken up with a blow job before, you should do it more often."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah" Erens lips curled up into a smile, "you're good at it."

Levi sat up, "I'm good at a lot of things" he said with a wink and he got off of Eren, standing up and stretching his arms, rubbing his sore jaw while he was at it. 

The younger boy sat up in bed, pulling up his boxers that had been pulled down to his ankles. He got a change to look over Levi then, the morning sun hitting the ravens pale skin just right. He scooted closer to Levi once he noticed a scar on his side. Eren reached a hand out to trace it, but his hand was caught in a tight grip by a smaller hand. 

"What do you think you're doing?" came Levi's voice, cautious and wary as ever. 

Eren looked back at the scar, it was no more than an inch, but it was thick. "where did that come from?"

"Tch" Levi let go of Erens hand, "what do you think? It's from my past, no big deal."

"Looks like you were stabbed" Eren said blankly. God, he really _does_ forget Levi was a thug at one point. 

Levi looked away, finding something else to focus his attention on. "I was."

"How old were you?"

"Fifteen" 

"What.. what happened there?" Eren decided to reach out again to trace the scar, this time though, Levi did not stop him. 

The raven dead panned, "It was the first and last time I told Jean no"

Erens blood ran cold at that, his hand rested frozen on the ravens side. "Levi-"

"Leave it" he said, turning and leaning down. He pressed a kiss to Erens forehead, "it's your birthday, let's not talk about this shit. Go wash up and get ready, you got a busy day ahead of you."

"..okay"

-

When he was told he had a busy day ahead of him, Eren had no idea how busy it would be. His day started out with Mikasa and Annie, who took him to breakfast to some nice cafe with some _really_ good coffee. Eren had three cups, but then had to pee every ten minutes afterward. Both Mikasa and Annie bought him something, from Mikasa he got new jewelry for his piercings and a couple new shirts. From Annie he got a new wallet and pair of socks with his favorite TV show characters on it. He thanked both of them, giving them big hugs while they left the cafe. 

It turns out, Levi had got two more cars for them. He had gotten Mikasa and Annie a sleek black 1967 Chevi Impala that they both practically swooned at. The raven had been up early negotiating with Petras fiance to get that car, since he's heard Mikasa talk about having one before. For Hange and Moblit he fought tooth and nail to get them a 1959 Fort Thunderbird convertible. To say the least, everybody was thanking Levi this morning.

Erens next stop of the day after spending the morning with Annie and Mikasa was to be with Hange and Moblit. They had taken him out to the beach to tour around a bit, they visited many stores and stops. There were hot dog stands around and Moblit paid for Erens lunch, laughing when Eren tried to balance all the bags on his arms so he could eat one simple hot dog. 

So, to say the least, Eren was having a great time. He's spent time with the people he loved all day, plus the sun was beating down on them like it was no tomorrow. Eren had put his sunglasses on halfway through the day, and Hange ended up buying Eren a bandana so now his hair was pulled out of his face. He had to admit.. he looked _good_. 

Occasionally he thought about Levi and what he was doing. He hasn't heard from the raven since this morning before he was picked up by Mikasa and Annie, and that was around eight thirty this morning and it was nowfive in the afternoon. Why wasn't Levi spending the day with him? Was something wrong?

"No, nothing's wrong" Hange reassured as they walked down the sidewalk, holding some bags since they too had been shopping. 

That didn't stop Erens worrying though, "well is everything okay? He's fine, right?"

Hange rolled her eyes, "yes he's fine, silly. You'll see him later, he's out doing something right now."

"Something for me?"

"Duh" Hange laughed and wrapped her arm around Moblits, who was getting keys out of his pockets, "don't fret youngster, you'll see your man later."

And just as promised, when he was dropped back off at the hotel, Eren saw Levi's rental car parked outside. He headed inside, holding all of his bags on his arms and went up to his room. Digging his key out of his pocket, he used it to unlock the hotel room door, swinging it open. "Levi? I'm back."

His boyfriend wasn't in the room, but outside at the balcony. He had a cup in his hands and a cigar in his hand, smoke blowing from his lips out into the sky. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, sunglasses over his eyes. Eren set the bags down and walked over, opening the door and walking out onto the patio. "Vi?"

Levi turned around, moving his sunglasses up so they rested upon his forehead. His black bangs fell onto his face and he gave Eren a little smile. "Enjoy your day?" he asked.

Eren nodded and walked up to he was standing next to Levi, leaning on the gate and looking out towards the beach. "Yeah, I was shopping most of the day. It was fun, I got a lot of stuff."

"Told you that you would have a busy day today" Levi said as he pressed the swisher to his lips, inhaling and pulling it out, blowing the smoke out and offering it to Eren.

The younger boy had never smoked one of these before, it was usually just weed. He did take it though, copying Levi's actions and blowing the smoke out. "Yeah, I missed you though. Why weren't you out with us?"

Levi dug into his pocket, grabbing something and holding it out to Eren. "Open it"

Eren handed Levi the cigar and took the dark red box from Levi's hand, it was soft, velvet. He looked from the box, then to Levi. "This is.. its not..?"

"Tch, I'm not proposing to you, idiot" Levi said, "open it."

Eren chuckled and nodded, he opened the box and pulled out a necklace. It sparkled in the sun, the dark chain looked like it had specks of glitter all over it. At the bottom though was a pendant, almost a rectangular shape with all four sides a solid dark black color, except for two of them. He inspected it closer, one of the side was a date that was engraved into his brain, the day they started dating. He flipped it over, the other side had LA & EY on it written in a beautiful cursive, silver writing to match the front. Eren smiled and looked at Levi, "this is really cool" he said. 

Levi smiled at that, blowing out some more smoke. "That's not all, you remember that party we got invited too?"

"Yes"

"I went shopping for you" Levi burned out the cigar and tossed it over the balcony, "come on inside and get dressed, meet everyone downstairs in an hour and Hange is coming in here to make sure we look decent."

Eren was excited as he followed Levi inside, he shut the door behind them and put on the necklace, fastening the lock behind his neck. Levi had walked to the closet, grabbing some black plastic bags and putting them down onto the bed. He sat down next to them, handing Eren one bag. "I picked out an outfit for you, today I went to the place where they were hosting the party and made sure I was getting the right supplies. Everything you need is in there, go in the bathroom and get dressed and I'll text Hange to swing by."

Without needing to be told twice, Eren nodded and took the bag into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He sat the bag down on the counter and opened it, reaching in and grabbing the clothes Levi had bought for him. He pulled out a pair of of salmon pink shorts and a black v-neck shirt to go along with it. Eren took off his clothes and changed into the ones that Levi picked out for him. Once he finished he looked at himself in the mirror, smiling for the millionth time today. He checked himself out, looked good, his butt looked good in these shorts. Good choice on Levi's part. 

After a couple more minutes of looking at himself, he walked out of the bathroom to see that Levi had finished getting dressed as well. He wore black shorts along with a blue button up shirt. He wore one of his chokers he wore the last time him and Eren went out. Levi was sitting on the bed in front of Hange, who was wearing white shorts and a nice looking yellow blouse. Her hair was half up and half down, a slight coat of make up on her face. She was leaning forward, doing Levi's make up, Eren had assumed. 

When she heard Eren exit the bathroom, Hange looked over at him and whistled. "Oh don't you look good there Eren! Pink is a good color on ya, good choice shorty"

A blush coated Erens cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck, "uh, thank you Hange"

"Come sit down and see what I'm doing to this guys face because you're next!"

Eren let out a laugh and he sat down on the bed next to Hange and observed what she was doing to Levi. She didn't do much, but she made Levi tilt his head up so she could put eyeliner on him. Eren had to admit, Levi did look really good when Hange did his eyeliner, which was rare. "You're going to do that to me?"

"It's not the gayest thing you've ever done" Levi said, blinking once his eyes teared up a bit. 

"Well I know that"

Hange finished and handed Levi a tissue to wipe his eyes and she turned to Eren, "Don't worry, I'm good at this stuff. Now, tilt your head back and let's get started!"

Doing Erens make up was easy, he had to stop because his eyes welled up a couple times but other than that everything was fine. Once all of them were finished getting ready they took the elevator down, meeting everyone downstairs. Everyone was all dressed up in their party attire and Moblit held onto the tickets. "Let's drive separate cars" he said once the three of them made it down to the main lobby. 

They all agreed. It would be easier taking separate cars considering some might want to leave before others. The sun was setting by the time they all pulled up to the event. Levi made sure everyone showed the bouncer their fake ID"s instead of their real ones or they would be in a little bit of trouble. Once they arrived they parked, got out, waited in line, showed the bouncer their ideas, and they were let in. 

Once they walked inside, they were met with someone at the second entrance door. She smiled at them, "Hiya! We got bracelets for singles, single ready to mingle, complicated, and relationship! Just tell me your status and we'll get you your bracelets!"

Eren recognized this method from the club down in California. They all told the woman their relationship status and since they were all in relationships they each got a black bracelet. After getting their bracelets they walked inside the building and everyone besides Hange and Levi were looking around, wide eyed at the scene in front of them. 

The place was huge. The building they were all in was huge at least. It resembled the SPARK club that Eren and Levi went too, that Hange visited a couple times. The black walls were similar, along with the bracelets, the dance floor, the pole dancers, the music, the DJ, and the games along the wall. Lights were strung up around the place, except this club had a back door so it wasn't completely dark, there was some light from the setting sun. On the back deck lights were wrapped around the place, a pool in the back along with a huge hot tub. Dancers were outside, and there was a grill, which would explain the smell of grilled food. 

People here were more wild than in California though, which didn't go unnoticed by Eren. People were jumping around, yelling and tossing confetti. The music was blasting through the entire club, people were taking body shots over to the side and some were even volunteering to get on poles. The dancers looked amazing too, their leg muscles bulging while they danced It took some real talent to be a pole dancer, Eren desired to have that type of confidence. 

"Remember to keep your hands over your drinks so you don't get roofied" Hange yelled over the music and turned to look at all of her friends, "I don't know about you all- but Moblit and I are going to party! Have fun!" 

Without another word, Hange dragged Moblit into the mob of people and the other four laughed when they saw Moblits look on his face: a cry for help. Mikasa held Annie's hand and walked up so she was standing next to Levi, "I don't know about you, but I could really use a drink."

Levi nodded and looked up at Eren, who was still taking in his surroundings. He linked his arm with Erens, "We're going to the bar to get some drinks, wanna come or go with Hange and Moblit?"

"I'll go with you" Eren said.

Annie led them over to the bar, she had her hair down and brushed. She wore a black leather skirt with a black leather crop top to match, she swiveled her hips as she walked. She knew she looked good, and she was not afraid to show it. They all walked to the bar and sat down on the stools. Levi and Mikasa sat on the outside of Eren and Annie. 

"What can I get for y'all?" The male bartender swiftly turned around to the four, "Tonight is the big party night! Everything is discounted at half off so order as much as you'd like?"

Eren liked him, this man seemed to like his job, either that or he was drunk. 

"Today is my boyfriends birthday" Levi said, leaning his elbows up on the counter. "Is there any drink you would recommend?"

The bartender looked over at Eren and smiled, "twenty first birthday young man?"

"Uh..yeah.."

"Well then your drink is on the house! I'll make you a drink we make for people celebrating their twenty first birthday" He looked at the other three, "and what would you three like?"

"Two shots of whiskey and a screw driver for me" Levi answered, he leaned into Erens side, he always tended to do that when they were around a lot of people or crowded event. 

While Mikasa and Annie ordered their drinks, Eren wrapped his arm around Levi and pressed a kiss to his temple. He had to admit, the raven looked good. Hange was really good with make up, she covered up the bags under Levi's eyes and put some eyeliner and a tint of mascara on him. On Eren she put a full coat of mascara on him along with some concealer, with a bit of eyeliner on his waterline. "You look really good tonight" he said. 

Levi reached a hand onto Erens crotch, letting his warm hand rest over the area. "Compliment me more and I will not hesitate to pull your shorts down and suck you off."

Eren barked out a laugh and shoved Levi's hand off, "I want to get so drunk tonight, this place looks so much fun. I want to go to the dance floor."

"I would love to see _you_ on a dance floor Eren" Mikasa teased, "you can't dance"

"Hey now, I've been to a club before"

Annie raised an eyebrow, "how?"

Mikasa frowned, "Levi?"

Levi smirked and raised his hands up, "guilty, we went to one in California"

"You're a bad influence"

"Okay and?" Levi leaned over the counter to get a better look at Mikasa, "you're the one who accepted the fake ID and now you're here illegaly drinking, and I thought you weren't one fold under peer pressure, miss future cop?"

Mikasa was about to clap back but then the bartender returned with all of their drinks, "here ya are! You enjoy birthday boy!"

Eren just smiled at the bartender and looked down at his drink. He was ready to party, to get drunk off his ass. 

To say the least, he did. 

Drink after drink was ordered, Eren had gotten all of his for free since it was his birthday. The four of them were drink off their asses, and eventually Hange and Moblit came over to the bar to order some drinks. Both of them were light weights, so they were too far gone after having half of what Levi and Mikasa had. Annie and Mikasa had went to the dance floor a little bit ago, which left Eren, Levi, Hange, and Moblit at the bar chatting amongst themselves. 

"Leeviiiii" Hange slurred and wrapped her arms around her friend. "Do you wanna go dance? I wanna dance but Moblit doesn't"

The raven was leaning against Eren when Hange called out his name, he looked up from where his lips were attached to Erens neck and shrugged. "Yeah" he turned and grabbed his cup that Eren had his hand on top of and kissed Erens cheek. "Gonna dance with Hange, if anyone gives you shit I'll kill 'em"

Eren only chuckled at Levi's slurred words, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Course baby, go dance. I'll be out there soon."

He watched Hange squeal as she took Levi by the hand and lead him to the dance floor, and now there were two. Moblit and Eren were sitting next to each other, sipping their vodka screw drivers like there was no tomorrow. Moblit was dressed in tan shorts and a blue v-neck shirt, which was the most casual Eren had ever seen him dressed. The bartender slipped Eren another drink and Eren thanked him, and then someone sat down next to him. 

"Hey birthday boy"

Despite being drunk, Eren knew that voice. He turned to see Angel, the lady who worked at the desk of the hotel they were staying at. He smiled at her, "Hey!"

"Enjoying the club?" Her eyes drifted down to his wrist and when she saw the black bracelet she faltered, but then returned to her regular posture. _Oh well_.

Eren sipped a his new drink and nodded his head, it was hot where they were at and his eyeliner and mascara had started to smear, same with everyone elses. "Yeah, this place is awesome. I get free drinks cause its my birthday. Thanks for the tickets!"

Angel just smiled and thanked the bartender when he passed her a drink, she turned back to Eren as she sipped it. "Who are you here with?"

"My friends and boyfriend" Eren said, he leaned back and pointed to Moblit, who was downing another shot. "That's Moblit, he's my friend Hange's boyfriend. And if you look" Eren pointed to the dance floor. "The girl in the yellow top is his girlfriend Hange, and the short guy with black hair that is dancing with her is my boyfriend Levi. My sister Mikasa and her girlfriend Annie are somewhere, probably by the hot tub."

She looked passed Eren to the people Eren had pointed too, she recognized them from when they checked in the previous day. "How long have you and Levi been together?"

"Five months" Eren answered and he took another drink, God he was so drunk. He wanted to go dance. 

"That's sweet" She smiled, "you seem happy with him."

"I am" He smiled brightly, "Love of my life."

Angel was about to say something else but then the beat dropped on the dance floor, and then a call of Erens name by a deep voice could be heard from the area. Eren swiftly turned his head to see Levi had parted a small part of the crowd, his arm around Hange as she danced. Levi held his cup in one hand and something else in the other, which Eren assumed was a blunt of some sort. He doubted Levi even realized he was smoking. "Hey hot stuff, come over here!"

Eren downed a shot and turned to Angel, "I've been summoned to the dance floor, you have fun Angel" and with that, he turned around and dragged Moblit to the dance floor, grabbing another drink in the process.

"I can't dance" Moblit begged.

"Just watch Levi and I" Eren smirked. 

Without another word, Moblit let Eren drag him onto the dance floor. Everyone was dancing so close, there was so many people on the dance floor. Sweat glistened on everyone's skin, the smell of weed and booze made itself known in the air. Eren found Levi and the raven latched himself to Eren immediately, wrapping one arm around the teal-eyed boys neck and grinding against Eren's slightly bent knee. His other hand was out stretched and holding up his drink, and there was a blunt hanging from his pink lips. 

The taller man leaned down, pressing a kiss to Levi's forehead and removing the blunt from his lips. His other arm snaked around Levi's waist and pulled him impossibly closer, smirking when he saw Levi had unbuttoned his shirt down to his chest. Beads of sweat dripped down from his neck to his chest and Eren wanted nothing more than to take him right then and there. 

Pressing the blunt to his lips, Eren inhaled and removed it, exhaling and blowing the smoke into the air. He danced along with the beat of the music with the raven, the feeling just like SPARK down in Long Beach. They both shared the blunt, both of them were faded beyond belief. Eren had peeked down at Levi's face and saw his face was tinted red and eyes were blood shot, and Eren was afraid he did not look much better. 

Just like Eren told him too, Moblit watched both him and Levi. The attraction between the two males was undeniable. How easy it was to pull Levi into a sexual embrace and exchange a blunt and a drink was a mystery to Moblit, he was some awkward rich boy who has never had a girlfriend before. He was always alone, he's never even drank before and here he was at a club while being underage. However though, when he got to the dance floor and observing Eren and Levi for a moment, he easily caught on. 

Hange had been dancing to the beat, drink in her hand and as soon as she caught sight of her boyfriend, her red face broke out into a smile. It wasn't until Hange came closer did Moblit realize that her eyes were bloodshot, obviously she had a lot more substances than him. He just smiled, bringing her into his arms and copying what all the other men were doing with their partners. 

It came to him easy, especially after having drinks in his system. They were dancing close to Eren and Levi, who seemed to be in their own little world the entire time. Moblit watched as Erens hands ravished Levi's body and how Levi oh so eagerly leaned in turned around, grinding against Eren with such force Moblit thought he's been doing this for years. He then tried the same thing with Hange, who squealed in excitement, stating she _knew what she was doing_ and boy, was she right. 

Her hips moved in ways Moblit couldn't process, swiveling against him. Hange was having the time of her life, dancing on her boyfriend and next to her best friend and best friends boyfriend. As she grinded against Moblit, she tilted her head back against his chest and looked over at Levi, holding her hand out. "Don't hog it, selfish!"

Levi only peeked at her from the corner of his eye, his lip curled into a smirk. He blew smoke in the air and handed the blunt to Hange, who copied his actions and blew the smoke out into the air. She passed it to Moblit, who looked at it intently before trying it. Surprisingly, he didn't cough the first time, but the next time he thought he was going to die. 

The four of them danced for what seemed like hours, shouting in excitement when they released confetti or some paint was thrown. Some water balloons were being tossed around and one had hit Eren and Levi, causing the two of them to laugh their asses off now that they were wet. Soon though, Eren had began to get very very horny and if they didn't leave soon, he was afraid he would take Levi right here on the dance floor. 

He looked down at Levi, who had his head tilted back on Erens chest and was grinding against him to the beat of the song. Blunt between his lips and drink in hand, that had been refilled with god knows what. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Levi's temple, "I wanna fuck you" he mumbled against his ear. 

Levi blinked up at Eren, taking a moment to register what Eren just said and he just smirked, picking the blunt from his lips and exhaling. "Yeah? You want to fuck me?" 

Even when drunk, he had proper grammar. 

Eren nodded and gripped Levi's hips tighter, pulling him close to Levi could feel his erection. "Fuck Vi, you look so pretty like this. Let's go back to the hotel, we've been here for hours. If I don't fuck you soon, I will cum from you just dancing."

With a nod from Levi, the two bid their farewells to their friends and left.

-

Shaking. His legs were shaking. His head felt foggy, and his ass hurt. So did his wrists.

Inhaling and exhaling quickly, Levi tried his best to register what was happening.

Bed. He was in the hotel bed. They just got back from the club.

He blinked ever so slowly and found himself on his back, hands tied above his head to the headboard and his legs were folded like a fucking lawn chair, a leather strap wrapped around his thigh and knee so he was spread eagle. 

Oh yeah, and Eren was pounding into him relentlessly. 

He just came. Again.

"Back now?" Eren had moaned out, they both reeked of alcohol. "Faded out for a sec, but I'm gonna make you cum again"

Ah yes, now Levi remembered. He's came three times already, once from Eren eating him out, then getting fingered, and then Eren fucking him into oblivion. He was so sensitive, he felt light headed but it felt so good. 

"M'back" Levi moaned out, "oh god, _Eren_ "

A victorious smile coated Erens face and he slipped out of Levi, leaning down and the next thing Levi felt was Erens tongue in his hole. Eren listened to Levi cry out in pain and pleasure from the over sensitivity. Levi was not able to move his legs, Eren had brought his box of toys with him to Florida and that involved some leather straps. He was surprised he could bind Levi's legs while both of them were drunk, but he did it anyway. 

"Oh god,oh fuck" Combined with dancing for hours and being faded, Levi was in a bliss. He was tired but he wanted to keep going, he wanted to come again. The feeling of Erens tongue made him want too. He whined though when Eren pulled away, "ah.. Eren..."

Eren had other plans though, he had only gotten off once and he wanted to get off one more time before Levi was too tired. He shushed the raven, looking up to see tears spilling from Levi's eyes but he knew they were from pleasure. "Suck me off?" he asked, removing the condom and throwing it away. 

Levi nodded his head almost eagerly, watching as Eren moved at an angel at which his cock was right in front of Levi's mouth. The smaller man had to lean up a bit since he was tied to the bed, and although the angel wasn't the best, he didn't care. He enveloped Erens cock in his mouth, wetting it and sucking as fast as he could to get Eren off. He had too before he passed out in exhaustion. 

Without Levi noticing, Eren had wrapped his hand around his boyfriends cock. He heard Levi whimper but he didn't release his grip, instead he began moving his hand ever so swiftly, giving Levi a hand job. 

God, sex with Eren was so good. When he first met Eren he had no idea how kinky Eren could be, on the outside he looks like a cinnamon roll who couldn't hurt a fly. But now here he was, working Levi to the point of him possibly passing out. He was so good at it too, it was like he's been doing it forever, or he just watched a lot of porn. 

Eren came first, exploding into Levi's mouth. He watched as Levi swallowed all of it, and as his erection went down he pulled out of Levi's mouth. His hand was still moving on Levi's cock, "Close?" Eren asked, he was out of breath from his orgasm and his hand hurt, he couldn't imagine how Levi's cock or ass felt at this point. 

Levi was catching his breath and he nodded, he went to say something about how close he was. He could feel it. But then a hand wrapped around his throat and squeezed slightly.

"Cum"

At the sound of Erens deep voice next to his ear, Levi's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his whole body tensed, spilling onto his stomach for the fourth time that night. When his orgasm was over, Levi didn't open his eyes again and he went almost completely limp on the bed. 

Despite still being drunk, Eren needed to take care of Levi. He untied the ravens wrists with one hand while the other was in Levi's hair, running through it comfortingly. Once he finished untying his wrists, he undid the leather straps around Levi's folded legs. When those were undone, Eren grabbed the nearest rag he put on the nightstand and wiped Levi's stomach and chest down.

He didn't bother changing them into clothes, Eren just climbed into bed next to the raven. "God I love you" he said, laying his head on the pillow.

Levi hummed, "love you too, happy birthday" his head felt so foggy.

Eren noticed and he brought Levi into his arms, "get some sleep, I pushed ya a bit tonight"

Levi did not need to be told twice, he was asleep without a second thought.

Eren just smiled,carding his finger through Levi's hair and listening to his boyfriends soft snores. Eventually he was right behind him, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

Happy twenty first (nineteenth) birthday to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to everyone who's left kudos!  
> it means a lot :)


	24. As Far As The Eye Can See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everything is laid out on the table. serious trigger warning for this chapter. seek out the notes and the new 18+ warning in the chapter summary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive been waiting to write this chapter for so long.  
> this chapter really kick starts the plot. most questions will be answered here.  
> i changed the tags on here, this entire book can be triggering in some way. it is entirely your choice if you continue to read, i am not at fault if a reader gets upset over what i write because i posted trigger warnings.  
> please, enjoy this chapter with caution.

The morning after Erens birthday was the worst. Eren woke up with a hugs hangover, he ended up puking in the toilet for about an hour and basically camped out in the bathroom until he finished throwing up. Levi had some better luck, only throwing up once and he was the first to get a shower. However, both of their heads hurt so bad they closed the curtains over the glass wall in their room so the sun wouldn't shine in. After taking some pain medication, both boys were showered and put on sweats, turning the air all the way up in their room and going straight back to bed under the thick covers. 

It turns out they weren't the only ones who had serious hangovers. Hange and Moblit woke up sick too, throwing up in their bathroom, and they ended up doing the same thing as Eren and Levi. They both fell right back asleep in their bed after showering, cuddling up and falling asleep in new clothes since they did not change into pajamas the night before. 

Same thing goes for Mikasa and Annie, turns out they went a couple rounds by the time they got back to the hotel and Annie was not feeling good. The six of them were in a group chat so when they all sent that they were all throwing up, they all decided that today would be a day to sleep in. 

It was perfect time for the couples to spend time by themselves, if they were being honest. They all needed it after these past couple weeks. 

Levi groaned as he woke up for the second time that day, his head still hurt and so did his stomach, and ass, and wrists, so did his legs. God, everything still hurt. "ow, fuck" he winced against Erens clothed chest. 

That woke Eren up, he blinked a couple times and rubbed his eyes, looking down at Levi. "You alright?"

"Ugh, they hurt" he rubbed his wrists, they ached, he was tied up for so long last night. "my knees too."

Eren nodded and yawned, reaching over and grabbing some lotion. He squirted some onto his hand and motioned for Levi to hold out his wrists, and once he did he began to rub lotion onto them. When he saw the burning relief flood through Levi's eyes, he smiled softly. "I should've done this last night but I was so drunk, I'm sorry"

"It's okay"

"You sore?"

A blush tinted Levi's cheeks as he nodded, looking away from Eren and suddenly finding the bed very interesting. "Yeah, everywhere."

"I did have you tied pretty good" Eren said and squirted more lotion on his hands, rolling up Levi's pant legs and rubbing the lotion onto his knees. "I meant to ask you.. was that okay last night?"

Levi looked up at him curiously, "what? the sex?"

He nodded his head in response, "well yeah, I didn't really ask you I just kind of did it. Was it okay? Are you willing to do it again?"

"Yes, but I would rather have both of us be sober so I don't wake up sore as a mother fucker."

Eren winced, "noted"

They spent the next couple minutes rubbing lotion onto Levi's indented skin from the ties last night and then went back to laying down. When they got hungry they ordered food from room service, Eren ended up getting the door after Levi was being dramatic saying his legs still felt like jelly. They ate their food in silence while they watched tv, and then afterwards they fell asleep again.

Needless to say, both boys slept for hours on end that day. 

Two days after that though, everything was back to normal. Except for one thing though, Eren had woken up to an email from one of his professors saying he was missing an assignment from Eren and saying he just needed Eren to resubmit it. He had pouted so heavily that he had woken up Levi, who was curled into a ball with his head on Erens hip. The raven whined as he was woken up, the hand in his hair had tightened and that brought him out of his slumber. "Mm, Eren?" 

Regret showed in Erens eyes, "oh baby, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

Rubbing his eyes, Levi nodded. "Yeah. Everything okay?" he reached for his phone, unplugging it from the charger and reading a text he got from Hange.

"Yeah, my professor needs me to resubmit an assignment but I didn't bring a laptop and it's on my flash drive so I have no idea how I will get it to him."

"I brought mine" Levi sat up and stretched, getting off of the bed. "Just use my laptop, you brought your flash drive?"

Eren laid back down, "tossed it in your bag last minute before we left, so yeah. Thanks Vi"

Levi walked to the closet, "Hange wants to go out for coffee and talk, Moblit is sleeping in. Mikasa and Annie are down at the beach" he informed, grabbing a simple pair of shorts and a shirt, changing in front of Eren. 

"Bring me back something?" 

"Course" After brushing his teeth and putting shoes on, Levi kissed the top of Erens head and left his hotel room. He made sure to take the room key with him and he knocked on Hange's door, "Hange? You ready?"

Moments later, Hange answered the door, frantically whispering. "Jesus, yes I'm ready. Hold on, I gotta put my shoes on."

He waited outside her door for what seemed like forever until Hange finally came outside, wearing a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt, her hair in a pony tail. "Ready to go get some coffee?"

"Yeah, I got my keys, I'll drive" Levi responded, "besides, Eren and I found a coffee shop on our maps yesterday while we were looking on our phones and I want to try it."

Hange nodded, "awesome, lead the way short stack."

They walked downstairs and exited the hotel, the blinding sunlight causing Levi to put his sunglasses on. Hange and Levi both got into the blue convertible and once Levi started it, he backed out of the parking spot and left the hotel. He had turned his maps on, following the directions. 

It was still early morning, sunrise had just passed and it wasn't as hot as it's been since it wasn't early afternoon yet. Not a lot of people were out except for workers and the occasional jogger on the side walk. 

Minutes later the two of them arrived to a cute little coffee shop that looked almost like the diner they would go to with Erwin, but it was more colorful. The outside was a dark red and there was huge windows. Levi parked and they both walked inside, breathing in the cold air of the air conditioning. Never did they both think they would be so grateful for cold air. 

Hange ordered some bubble tea she wanted to try, apparently it had little jellies that were filled with some fort of liquid. The barista said it 'explodes with flavor' and Hange was so excited to try it. Levi had ordered something similar, except his didn't have any bubbles in it. 

When their drinks were ready they grabbed them, thanking the barista and sitting down at some booths by the window. The sun wasn't facing them so Levi took off his sunglasses. "This place is nice" he said, starting conversation. 

She agreed while she sipped her tea, "this stuff is good too, how does yours taste?"

"I like it"

They were quiet for some time before Hange's phone started to ring, she pulled it out of her pocket and smiled when she saw the caller ID. She smiled and answered it, "Hey Erwin! Levi is with me, I'll put cha on speaker!"

 _"Hey guys"_ Erwins voice came through loud and clear once Hange set the phone on the ledge between the two of them.

"Hey Erwin" Levi greeted.

_"How is Florida? Kinda jealous I didn't get an invite"_

"Oh shut it! Be jealous" Hange smiled, "Florida is awesome, we miss you!"

_"I miss you guys too, it fees like forever. When do you guys come home for the summer?"_

Summer, Levi dreaded that. He wouldn't see Eren for a long time unless they did the same thing they did for winter break. He still has to ask Hange how her and Moblit were going to handle summer vacation. 

"We finish at the end of April" Levi answered. 

_"Will Eren and Moblit be coming down for summer vacation?"_

Hange shrugged, "I'll ask Moblit, maybe he can visit California and then I can visit his home."

Levi spoke next, "I have no idea if I'm being honest, we might try a two week on and off thing, or maybe split the months in half. I don't know."

_"I hope you can both get them to come down. Armin graduates high school at the start of June and he would like all of you to be there, he wants to meet Moblit. As do I. I have to give him the same greeting I gave Eren."_

"Ha, whatever" Levi grinned.

Hange looked confused, "what greeting?"

Levi looked at her, "he had Eren scared shitless when he met him, boy was practically shaking."

_"Moblit has been good to you I suppose, Hange?"_

"Yes _dad_ " She rolled her eyes, "God, you ask more questions than my actual parents"

"That's how he was with Eren too" 

_"I'm just making sure you two are okay. I miss having you both here where we talked every day, now we all talk once a week at most. My job has be working crazy hours and you two are busy with school and your boyfriends."_

"Yeah I know, miss you too you big fucking tree"

_"There's the Levi I miss."_

"How are you and Armin doing?" Hange asked. 

_"Really good. Since I landed the job at LBPD I can swing by and be with him during his lunch period since they're still letting them outside on school grounds so that nice."_

Levi sipped his tea, "that's good, glad to hear you're doing well Erwin."

_"How was Erens birthday?"_

Hange barked out a laugh, "Levi couldn't walk for a whole day afterwards. Ow!"

_"huh?"_

Levi smacked Hange, a blush covering his cheeks. "She was not supposed to say that. But it was good, we went to a club and we all got him gifts and stuff."

"You're such a sour puss" Hange rolled her eyes and sipped her tea.

"Whatever, shitty glasses."

The trio talked for another hour on the phone, just about school and Erwins new job. It was nice to talk to him, he was like an older to brother to Levi and Hange. They told him about all of their problems and got advice from the older blonde, and vice versa. Erwin talked to them about his issues and Levi always threatened to kill the person that was bothering Erwin, while Hange was always one to formulate a response to give him some advice. The three of them missed each other deeply, reminiscing over times in high school where they would hang out and sneak around. 

It was refreshing to hear that Erwin missed them too. It's not like they had a codependent relationship or anything, but the three of them went through a lot of stuff together. Hange and Erwin had been friends since they were children, and Levi had only joined their group and year and a half ago. They both could not wait to go home, to see everyone they knew and to be in their own homes. 

They wanted to go home now and bask in the California sun, but Florida would be the best the two of them got for the next couple weeks. 

-

Meanwhile, Eren was still in the hotel room. He had finally gotten around to putting some clothes on, a pair of shorts and a shirt. He had to submit that assignment before it was too late because grades were being posted the next day. Once he finished brushing his teeth he grabbed Levi's laptop from his bag and typing in the password Levi gave him a couple weeks back. When the laptop was unlocked, he cursed to himself as he forgot which bag he put the flash drive in. 

"Dammit, where the hell is it?" he mumbled to himself as he dug through his and Levi's suitcases. He went through all of his suit cases but eventually switched to Levi's. 

Levi had brought a couple books and journals with him and Eren didn't open them, but he did move them out of the way to see if his flash drive was under them. 

"Damn" He frowned, "where the hell is it?" 

He picked up another one of Levi's journals and as he moved it, something small fell out of it. 

"Found ya!" Eren exclaimed excitedly, he reached down and grabbed the black flash drive. He totally forgot he slipped it into Levi's suitcase and not one of his packing bags. Eren stood back up and walked back to the bed, plugging in the flash drive into the laptop and pressing _accept device_.

Something different popped up in the documents folder though, and instantly Eren knew he had grabbed the wrong flash drive from the bag. 

The flash drive label was Jean Kirstein. Eren knitted his eyebrows together in confusion, Jean? _The_ Jean? Levi's ex? If this was the ex Levi told him about, then why the hell was his name on this flash drive? From the brief things Levi has told about his past, he was sure that Levi wouldn't keep something like this if it wasn't important. 

Now, Eren knew he would be invading a huge part of Levi's private life if he chose to open this flash drive. He knew it would break his trust with Levi, but.. but he really wanted to know. He wanted to know what Kenny meant by Levi's old drug addiction, he wanted to know what it meant when he said that Jean did so much more than just hit Levi. 

And it's not like Levi would tell him this either, every time he asked he was shut down or Levi gave him his usual shitty attitude. Eren wanted to know to try and help Levi. That's all he ever wanted to do, was help him. 

He decided if he was going to do this, he was going to do it quick before Levi and Hange got back. Eren, with a shaking hand from nerves, clicked on the flash drives file. After clicking, a bunch of files came up. None of them were labeled, just a bunch of dates as the title. "These are from four years ago.. when Levi and I were fifteen...?" He looked closer, scrolling down to the very end. The date of the last file was a year and a half ago, which would be their senior year of high school. 

_God, I really should not be doing this,_ Eren thought to himself. He scrolled back up to the top and hovered the mouse over the first file, biting his lip and he curiously clicked on it. 

What popped up was a copy of all of Levi's information. 

_Rivaille (Levi) Ackerman_

_Born : December 25, 2000_

_Hair : black_

_Eyes : blue/grey_

_SSN: *** ** ****_

_Age joined :15_

_Reason : needs money for uncles rehab._

_Date joined : March 18, 2015_

The file listed everything besides that. It listed everything from his date of birth, drivers license number, Levi's weight, his likes and dislikes. It even showed his strengths and weaknesses, this file had everything. It even had all of Kennys information too. There was some stuff that Eren didn't even know about Levi, but one thing he sought out curiously was the reason Levi joined whatever it was for. 

It was for his uncle Kenny, and Eren frowned at that. He could imagine little fifteen year old Levi trying to do his best, he remembers Levi telling him about Kenny needing some rehab, but he didn't know Jean paid for it. What else did Jean pay for?

Eren exited out of that file and clicked on another one, this one was a video. It showed a younger looking Levi in a cap and t-shirt, sitting at a table in what looked like a dark room with very little lighting. He looked dirty, his eyes looked murderous and his lips were curled down into a frown. He did not have his undercut, his hair went down to the bottom of his ears. Eren heard someone elses voice on the video and he turned the volume up, trying to listen.

_"Rivaille" the deep voice said, there was a shuffling of paper. "I have all of your information you provided me, now I have to ask you, are you sure you are ready to become a part of this gang? If you pay me the money, I'll let you walk."_

_Fifteen year old Levi looked up at the person speaking, "you made it pretty fucking clear that I couldn't, I should never have bought from you in the first place."_

_"Ah, but you did my little raven" the deep voice said._

_"Fuck you Jean" Levi spat, anger evident in his voice. "Fuck you"_

It was Jean, he was talking to Jean. Levi was this young when he first met Jean? How long did this go on for?

A slamming sound came from the laptop, bringing Erens attention back to the video that was currently playing.

_The man behind the camera, Jean, had reached over the table and grabbed Levi's hair. He had slammed the ravens head down onto the table, ignoring Levi's pained cry. "You do not disrespect me, here. This is my turf, Rivaille. I will send your uncle to rehab to get better, I will stop my men from selling to him even though he is the most frequent buyer. He pays a good price, so I will need something to make up for it."_

_Levi's stormy blue eyes looked up at the bigger man, even when he was a kid, Levi had the perfect dead pan mask on his face. "What do you want me to do."_

_"Will you behave?"_

_"Yes, fuck, get off"_

_The hand was released from Levi's hair and the raven sat back up, coughing over to the side. He glared back at Jean, "just get Kenny through rehab"_

_"I will." Jean spoke, his face still was not shown in the video. "But, you have to do something for me in return. No one walks around free around here"_

Despite the furious look on his face, Eren could see the nervousness in his eyes. He could see Levi shaking slightly, fear burning in his eyes. It was behind all the anger, Eren felt so bad for him. 

_"What do you want me to do?" Levi asked._

_"You Levi, are one pretty face to look at" Jean spoke, "I want you to do deals with me. I want you to make up the money I will be losing when I drop Kenny and send him to rehab. You help me recruit new buyers, Rivaille."_

_Levi looked like he actually thought about it, and he looked back at Jean. "You promise Kenny will be taken care of? Sent to somewhere nice?"_

_"Yes."_

_"..okay.. I'll do it."_

Eren clicked out of the video and went back to all of the files. There were so many of them and Eren wanted to watch them all, why would Levi keep something like this? Was it even his? If anything, all of these files looked like they belonged to Jean. 

He scrolled down some, clicking on a random video and eyes widening at the picture on the screen.

The first one was of Levi. He was on the floor on his side, bloody and bruised. Blood fell from his nose and from cuts on his face, his eye was purple and there were bruises down his arms. He was dressed in a black shirt and blue jean shorts. 

"Jesus Christ" Eren whispered to himself.

He left that file and clicked on another one, which was another picture of Levi but this time he was with someone else. He was being carried bridal style by someone who was tall. His hair was a dirty blonde, undercut just like Levi's hair was now, except his hair fell in front of his face and was styled unlike Levi's. His eyebrows were as sharp as his jaw, his eyes pointed and fierce. This man was tall, either Levi looked small or this man was really just that tall. His shoulders were broad, hips narrow and he stood firm. 

What really shocked Eren though, was the big smile on both of their faces. It was obvious the photo was some sort of candid, like both of them did not expect it to be taken. Levi's arms were wrapped around the mans neck, a huge smile on his face, he looked like he was laughing and so was the larger man. 

If Eren didn't know any better, he would assume that Levi was really happy with this man. 

Eren left this file and scrolled down some more, clicking on another one which would have been Levi's 16th birthday. This one turned out to be a video, and Eren pressed play, and he felt like he was going to throw up.

_"No, please, stop Jean"_

_"Shut the fuck up, Rivaille"_

_"Jean it hurts, it hurts so bad. Please, fuck, stop. I can't- I can't.. don't..."_

The camera must have been set on the nightstand by the bed because Eren had a good look at the event. Levi was on his back, naked, another man on top of him. The same man from the picture. 

_"You do as I say, that was the agreement"_

Oh, now Eren saw. He feels like he's seen too much. 

_Levi still looked young in the video, he was only sixteen. He laid on his back, arms up and pushing at Jeans shoulders but the older man was too strong. He forced Levi down onto the bed and spread the ravens legs. The fear was evident on Levi's face, tears began to fall and he cried full of pain and only pain as Jean slipped inside him. There was no prep, nothing. Levi screamed out but a hand covered his mouth, forcing him to be quiet._

_"Shut the fuck up, Rivaille." The man above him glared down, "You love me, you will let me do this. Say it back."_

_He removed his hand from Levi's mouth and Levi sobbed out, hiccuping from the lack of air. "I-I love you. I-.. I will let y.. you do this."_

_"Thats right" A smile formed on the dominants face, "You love me. You love me. You love me."_

Eren clicked out of the video as fast as he could, breathing fast. 

Levi had been raped. He had been raped by Jean, and God knows how many times that happened. This man beat him and raped him, manipulated him. What else could this man have possibly done to Levi?

He gulped to himself and scrolled down a couple more files, clicking on another one. This one was another video, he sighed to himself and pressed play. 

_Levi and Jean were standing in front of a man strapped to a chair, rope binding him. Levi looked older in this one, his hair had an undercut which looked to be cut recently. He wore black skinny jeans and a leather jacket on top of it. Jean wore dark blue jeans and a black jacket, both of their arms were crossed. The dialogue was muted so it was completely silenced._

_Jean had started to say something but as he spoke, Levi reached in his back pocket and pulled out a gun, aiming it at the man strapped to the chair._

_Moments passed of just them talking, Levi's gun fixated on the man in front of them. Their faces could not be seen in the video, but one more word from Jean and a look of fear from the man, and Levi shot the gun._

Eren gasped as he watched the mans brains splattered on the wall behind him. "Oh my god, oh my fuck." 

He's killed someone, his Levi, a cold blooded murderer. How? How did Jean have this power over Levi? How did Jean convince Levi to kill?

"For his uncle" Eren sighed to himself, he couldn't imagine what Levi must have thought. All he wanted to do was make his uncle better, and now he was killing people under Jeans direct order. Eren felt anger flood through his veins, if he ever saw Jean, killing him would be the first thing on his list. 

"My sweet little Levi.." Eren mumbled to himself, scrolling through a couple more videos. The more he watched, the more he understood why Levi was the way he was. He understood the anger, the pain, the nightmares, the weapons he always needed. 

Countless videos were played while he watched, Eren might have been there for minutes or maybe an hour. He watched Levi murder people in cold blood with a bullet, others were him slicing peoples necks open. There were pictures too, pictures of Levi. The older Levi got, the more evil the teen looked. He never smiled in any more pictures. One video stood out though, and it was one that broke Erens heart.

This one was similar to others, a man was strapped to the chair but this man was dirty and bloodied. His hair was pitch black and he looked young, not much older than Levi no doubt. This video was one of the last videos on this file, and Eren had a feeling this one had a big impact on Levi because after this one, there was one more left. 

This video had audio unlike the other torturing videos. Eren could hear the mumbled talking between Levi and Jean, both of their voices deep. Levi sounded angry and Jean sounded mean, he sounded like he wanted to hurt the little raven. They were standing toe to toe, chest to chest, noses flaring and eyes piercing. 

_"Levi, for fucks sake! Why are you being so stupid, just kill him!"_

_"But I know him! I can't-"_

_"Fine" Jean had grabbed something from his back pocket, a gun. He aimed it at the man in the chair. "He's a fucking spy you idiot, he can't be here"_

_"Jean, please don't, don't shoot, please!"_

_Jean pushed Levi aside and didn't even look at the man in the chair, he just shot and fired without no care in the world. Like it was easy for him. Maybe it was._

_Levi had backed up against the wall and grabbed at his black hair, his eyes wide and his mouth opened into an o shape. He looked scared, afraid, like he was about to throw up._

_After putting his gun away, Jean turned and grabbed Levi by the collar and violently shoving him against the wall. "Are you a fucking pussy, Levi?"_

Erens heart broke at the shaking Levi. _"N-No. You didn't have to kill him!"_

_"He was distracting you. You're my best dealer, Levi, and he was making you soft. You do as I say, do you understand me?"_

_Levi sobbed, "yes sir"_

_Jean threw Levi to the ground after that, not giving a shit about how hard Levi's head hit the ground. "Clean that shit up, next time I come down here, try showing me some god damn respect. If you act like that in front of our clients, we're fucked. I'm building you a fucking reputation, Levi, you better own up to it" and he walked out of frame._

Eren watched a couple more moments of Levi sobbing hysterically, pulling at his hair and crying out a name. Marco. It wasn't long before Levi had started to hyperventilate and Eren couldn't watch anymore. He clicked off of the video and sighed to himself.

One more video, just one more. He scrolled down to the bottom and clicked on the file, a video popped up. This one was of Levi, who looked much older. He looked more like he did today. He was with a woman with red hair and another boy with dirty blonde hair. They were all sitting outside, the man with dirty blonde hair was holding a camera so it included all three of them. 

_"Furlan, I don't want to be in the frame you dumbass" Levi rolled his eyes, but a sly smile was on his face._

_The man with dirty blonde hair, Furlan, laughed. "Come on Levi! Chill out!"_

_"Yeah big bro!" The woman with red hair spoke, her arm wrapped around Levi's shoulder and she ruffled Levi's hair. "Stop being so serious"_

_"Isabele, stop" Levi groaned and began wrestling around with her._

This video was happy, it was of Levi and two other people he obviously liked. He considered them friends, it was exactly how Levi acted with Hange and Erwin, or him and Connie. They talked about just anything, and Eren had a bad feeling of why this video was being recorded. He listened for a couple more minutes of various topics until something caught his attention. 

_"Tell Jean I'm going to the north side to join up with Mike" Levi said._

_Isabel frowned, "Mike Zacharias?"_

_"Yes"_

_"Why?" Furlan asked._

_Levi snapped, "because I'm getting the fuck out of here. I have no reason to stay. I have to do things for myself. I.. my hands are dirty, I can't be Jeans puppet anymore. I'm tired."_

_Furlan nodded his head, "of course."_

_"Promise me something, big bro?"_

_"What?"_

_Isabels eyes watered, "promise me that you will make it somewhere? Write a book? Send me the first copy."_

_Levis face softened and he nodded, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her head. "Of course, I'll keep in contact with you both."_

_"We love you Levi, and we will see you soon."_

The video ended and Eren heard foot steps coming down the hall, he quickly unplugged the flash drive and shut the laptop, but it turns out he wasn't fast enough. The door to the hotel room opened as soon as Eren stood up with the flash drive in his hand. He turned around to see Levi walking in, a drink in his hand and another one that he wasn't sipping on. "Hey Eren" he greeted, taking his shoes off and walking up to his boyfriend. He handed him a drink and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "I got one of these for you, they're really good."

Eren didn't miss how his hands shook, he felt like he invaded Levi's privacy. He watched things he shouldn't have. But the man in the video.. it couldn't be Levi. He looked down at Levi as he grabbed his drink from him, sipping it softly. "Thank you Vi, tell me how it went. Let's sit down" 

Levi instantly agreed and sat down on the bed next to his closed laptop, smiling as Eren sat down next to him. He leaned his head on Erens shoulder as he took a drink, "Hange and i went to this cafe you and I talked about and the drinks were really good, we then got a call from Erwin and.."

He didn't mean too, but he turned Levi out as he spoke. Eren couldn't believe that was how Levi used to be. He looked down at Levi now, skin soft and radiating happiness as he talked about his day. This Levi was so gentle with Eren, like he was glass. He looked down at Levi's hands, the hands that have murdered at least a dozen people and hurt a lot more. They were rough, but were also soft from the healing he's been through. He looked at Levi's pale face, it was smooth. No blood, no bruises, no nothing. 

This was Levi after he fled, or that's what Eren had assumed happened. From the sound of the video, Levi left Jean. Told him a lie and left to cover his own ass, and maybe that was the only way Levi could leave the gang anyway. 

"-and after we finished looking at the beach we stopped at this shop where they had dogs, we pet dogs for awhile and then we got drinks again and now she's with Moblit. They're staying in tonight, since a new movie got released on Netflix. Something called Dangerous Lies, I don't know. I stayed to watch it half way through but then I left because I forgot I had a drink for you. I need a shower-"

"Rivaille"

Levi's entire body froze, and it's a good thing he was mostly finished with his drink because he dropped it. It fell onto the bed, his hand now shaking. He hasn't been called that in almost two years, and the only person who called him that did not talk to him anymore. He felt his pulse in his neck, his hands. He sat there frozen, blood running cold. 

No. How did Eren know of that name?

Hange and Erwin didn't even know that name. 

That didn't go unnoticed by Eren, and he instantly knew he made a mistake. Oh God, this was it. Will Levi hurt him like he hurt those men? Possibly women and children. "Levi-"

"How did you know that name?" Levi asked darkly, swiftly turning towards Eren. 

"Levi-"

Levi had faced Eren, a hard mean look on his face. He felt like heaving, he felt like hitting something. "How did you find out about that name, Eren? One person called me that, only one and that was Jean. How in the fuck-"

He paused then once he heard shuffling, he looked down at Erens hand and saw the flash drive in his hand. _No... he couldn't._ "You didn't"

For the first time, Eren actually felt afraid of the man sitting in front of him. He got off the bed and backed away, holding the flash drive in his hand. "Levi, hey.. look, calm down okay? I'm sorry.."

"Sorry? You're sorry?" Levi had stood up too, fury flaring in his stormy grey eyes. "You went through my personal property! How _dare_ you Eren Yeager? I fucking trusted you, and this is what you do? You go through my shit? Do you even fucking trust me? What? You don't happen to know Jean do you? Did you know him this whole time?"

"What? Levi, fuck, no-"

"Then how the fuck did you find out about that!" Levi pointed towards the flash drive enclosed by Erens hand, "How did you.. why did you.. _why_ did you go through my things? Do you not trust me? Have I dont something wrong?" his eyes widened, oh shit. That means.. if Eren watched everything.. then.. "that means you saw.."

Eren watched as Levi took a step back away from him and his heart shattered, this is not how he wanted to spend his spring break. "Baby.."

"You saw everything" Levi's voice broke, "You saw me.. hurt and murder those people.. and you also saw the rapes.. the deals... the recruiting.."

It was true, Eren saw everything but it's not like he saw Levi any different. If anything, he understood everything now. "Yes" was all he said. 

Levi's legs began to shake from the anxiety, no, this couldn't happen. Everything was doing so good, he was doing so good. Everything was fine. Now this, now that Eren knows. Everything will go wrong, Eren will leave him. This is what Levi deserved, he deserved everything bad. Maybe Eren will turn him in, he's going to jail for murdering those people. But if he goes to jail, so will Jean, and Jean knows everybody. He will probably be killed in jail for ratting Jean out, or at least raped and tortured until he died. 

He could not let that happen.

"You weren't supposed to know" Levi reached up and grabbed at his hair, pulling at it. It was only something he did when he was stressed. "Are you going to turn me in?"

"No Levi, I won't" Eren spoke softly, he was treading in some dangerous waters now. He knew about people being murdered, he was a witness at least. However, all he wanted was what was best for Levi. He was not that person anymore. He's never seen Levi panic like this before. "I won't do anything about it, I won't tell anyone anything."

"You saw him raping me" Levi felt like his whole body was caving in on him, Jean had raped him numerous times but no knowing that Eren saw it happen made him feel disgusting. "God, you saw that. And Marco.. he killed my best friend. Jean made me do it Eren, I.. I didn't want to kill all of them..."

Eren took a step forward towards Levi once he noticed Levi pulling a little to hard at his hair and his knees shaking. "Hey.. come here Vi, come here"

He inched closer and made sure it was okay to wrap his arms around Levi, who wouldn't let go of his hair. He didn't lean against Eren but he didn't move out of his arms either. 

"No no no... no no no" Levi's breathing began to pick up, "Eren I didn't mean too, I didn't mean to kill them. I didn't mean to let Jean rape me, I just wanted to help Kenny."

"Hey.. shh.." Eren held Levi tighter, he felt so guilty for bringing all this up. And Levi believed he let Jean rape him? In the video Jean was in control, Jean did it. Jean did everything, Levi was a victim. Levi had no choice. Levi was too young to know right from wrong. He stroked Levi's back, "And you did, you helped Kenny. He went through rehab and he's okay now"

Levi chocked out a sob, squeezing his eyes shut. He needed to catch his breath. "I'm so sorry Eren"

Tears welled up in Erens eyes at the way Levi sounded, so broken and helpless. He noticed Levi's knees shaking and he reached down, picking Levi up by his thighs. "wrap your arms around my neck baby, let me hold you."

With a sniffle, Levi did as Eren said. He wrapped his arms around Erens neck and buried his face into Erens neck. He gripped at the shirt on his back tightly, like it was a life line. Eren hoisted him up and held him by his thighs, heart breaking by the second as Levi started to cry against his neck. "It's alright Levi, it's okay"

Levi did not understand. What did he do wrong? He didn't know what he did. It felt like the entire world was crashing down on him and he could not escape from it. He was falling and nobody was there to catch him. This was it, everyone will leave him. Everything is over. 

With a small grunt, Eren carried Levi over to the bed and sat down. He leaned back and laid down on his back, still holding Levi close to him. He adjusted the both of them to where Levi was laying comfortably on top of him. "Levi, you did nothing wrong. I am not mad at you, you understand me?"

He whimpered against Erens neck, his breathing becoming erratic. He was too overwhelmed and he began to gasp for air, sucking in too fast and choking.

The younger man acted fast, detaching Levi's face from his neck and sitting back up. He held Levi close and grabbed the drink he had previously set on the floor and held it up, it was still cold so he pressed it to Levi's forehead, thanking god it was closed by a lid. He had to cool Levi down. "Breath for me Vi, come on, it's alright, just breath."

Eren watched as beads of sweat dripped down Levi's face, he kissed the top of Levi's head and pressed the drink against his face to try and cool Levi off. "Hey.. come back to me hun, I'm right here, I'm going no where"

" _Eren_ "

"Shh" Eren shushed him, kissing his head again. "breath for me Vi, you know I only want what is best for you. Come back to me, yeah.. yeah that's it"

Levi's erratic breathing began to slow down and he choked out another sob, "I'm so sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Eren asked, his arm still tightly wrapped around Levi, holding the drink to his forehead. Levi had nothing to be sorry for.

"I'm a fucking murderer" 

"You're a victim Levi, not a murderer"

Levi's eyes began to droop, "Murderer. I'm a murderer. And now you saw.. you know.. you know everything.."

Eren began to notice how tired Levi got, he rubbed Levi's arm. "we can talk about this later, I want you to sleep, okay? How's that sound? Wanna sleep?"

He felt Levi nod against his shoulder and he smiled softly, "okay, go ahead and sleep, I'll be right here holding you"

Another tear escaped Levi's eye, but he was falling asleep before he even noticed.

-

Eren woke up later that night alone in bed. He blinked and looked around, "Levi?" he asked out loud, getting into a sitting position. Levi's side of the bed was made neatly like it was every morning and Eren frowned. He almost started to panic, until he looked forward to see the raven outside on the balcony, sitting on one of the chairs. He was wrapped up in one of Erens hoodies as he looked up at the night sky. 

He frowned and got up out of the bed, putting on his pair of slippers and walking to the door. He opened it and walked out, sitting down on the chair across from Levi. "Hey, what are you doing up?" he asked. 

Levi didn't look at him, but he bags under his eyes showed that he did not sleep very well, with the little sleep he had gotten. "Can I trust you?"

Such a simple question, but it held so much weight to it. "Yes"

The raven wrapped his arms around himself, trying to make him appear smaller. This was a different side of Levi that Eren had never seen before. The Levi Eren was used too was protective and angry, could kill with one look but this Levi.. he looked so small, so sad and vulnerable. Is this how Jean recruited Levi when he was younger? With his emotions?

"I was living with Kenny at the time" Levi began after trying to find the best place to start. "He did drugs, I knew that. He was addicted to heroin and was an alcoholic. He never did it around me, but one day I found his needles in his room while looking for my phone charger."

"I didn't know Kenny did heroine" Eren questioned.

"Well, he did" He looked up at Eren, meeting his eyes. "When I found it, I knew I had to get him help. I was already working at a job but picked up another one, so I was working two jobs during my sophomore year of high school to try and save money for Kenny to go to rehab because it's not free in California, you have to pay for it."

Eren frowned, "well that's kind of dumb."

That put a small smile on Levi's face. "I know"

"How did you get the money for Kenny's rehab?"

"I have a feeling you know how I got the money" Levi glared, "the first file on that flash drive explains everything."

Eren nodded hesitantly, "I know, but I want to hear it from you."

Levi sighed and nodded, running a hand through his hair. "I smoked weed after becoming so stressed out from working all the time. I bought from a woman named Rico, thinking she was some random dealer. But then I had a hard day and called her up, asking for a discount since I didn't get paid till the next day and she agreed. We met up, and I got some free weed but the problem was, I didn't pay her back because my paycheck went straight towards bills. I tried apologizing but that didn't work, and that's how Jean found me."

"Rico had texted me asking me to meet up and I agreed, meeting at our usual spot but then instead of Rico, two men showed up. It was Jean, and then another guy named Furlan. Jean explained to me that Rico was almost like his right hand man and I owed them a lot of money, which I didn't have. Furlan had smashed my face in the concrete while Jean told me to either join them and help rack up their deals, or he would kill me right on the spot because that's just how things were on the south side."

"Furlan" The name rolled off Erens tongue, "I thought he was your friend."

Levi nodded his head, "if you'd be patient, I would explain more. We're only at the beginning dumbass, but you already knew that."

Eren kept his mouth shut and listened.

"Anyway.. Jean said he would pay for Kenny's rehab if I joined their hang, and I knew I would never be able to get the money on my own any time soon and I agreed. That was just the start, I had no idea what I would be getting myself into once I shook his hand, and I had no idea what blood would be on my hands after that. He kept files of all of us, the reasons we were with him and everything. He has everything."

He watched as Levi began to pick at his sweatshirt, "Levi.. you don't have to explain this to me right now, we can wait. I know you're still upset."

"If I don't tell you now, all you know of me is the fact that I killed a bunch of people and you have no explanation. Shut up, Eren"

He zipped his mouth shut and nodded. 

Levi continued. "Jean began to build up a reputation for me down on the south side. I was his right hand man now, not Rico. I was his rabid dog on a leash, and with all the training on self defense and weapons, I wasn't one to be taken lightly. I attended every deal with him, every exchange, every meeting. Everything. After only two months everyone knew of the name Rivaille Ackerman and nobody messed with us. Even everyone in the gang didn't push my luck, because if someone upset me, they upset Jean, and they would be shot on the spot." He chuckled darkly, "I was his fucking prize, I thought he loved me, but he only loved what I could do and what I was capable of. He trained me himself, taught me everything that I knew. If anything, if Jean and I fought back then I would lose, but now.. If I fought him, I might be able to beat the shit out of him."

"Is Rivaille your real name?" Eren asked.

Levi nodded his head, "Rivaille is my real name, but I go by Levi since it's shorter. Also, I was only called Rivaille on the south side so after I left, I started going by Levi."

"Okay"

"I then began doing deals on my own, Jean had trusted me enough. He had me on a leash because without him, Kenny would never be in rehab. But while Kenny was getting better, I got worse. Jean fixed me with drugs, with heroin, weed, coke, ketamine, everything. Every drug you can think of, it was in my system before the time I was sixteen. In under three months I was addicted to them, and that pushed me to stay with Jean because I needed my fixes."

"Jean.. then changed things around. I was allowed into the more private meetings. To prove my loyalty to him.. he made me murder and torture people to order to help build my rep, but I later found out it was to build a rep of the gang. The first time he had me do it, I could barely touch the person with the knife I was given. I was afraid, but he told me he would kill me if I didn't kill for him, that he would kill Kenny too. That's why there is no audio in most of those videos. By the third, I was slicing their throat open without a second glance. I couldn't use guns, that was for later. Jean wanted me to practice with knives and be prepared, but things only got worse when I got my first gun from him."

Eren frowned at that, "What changed?"

"I was a murderer then" Levi concluded, "Jean would give me one look and I would shoot the person. I didn't care who they were, but in my mind at the time.. if someone disrespected Jean.. they would be killed. He engraved that into my head, Eren. I had no choice."

"Hey" Eren leaned forward and put a hand on Levi's knee, "I don't blame you Vi, you don't have to prove anything to me. Just keep on telling your story, alright? I won't judge."

God, Eren did look so sincere. Levi took a big breath and exhaled, continuing. "On my sixteenth birthday there was a party, the entire gang was there. I had shot up because I could, and Jean noticed. He raped me for the first time that night, he tore something down there and it hurt so bad. I was bleeding and ended up passing out, turns out I almost overdosed on cocaine but Jean didn't take me to the hospital because he didn't want to get caught. I couldn't walk for almost a week after that."

Erens heart broke, Levi was only sixteen. When Eren was sixteen he was on the football team scoring touch downs and going to parties, but Levi was.. Levi was across the country, miserable under the hands of some tyrant. 

"He became abusive after that. He always hit me, beat me down. I know you saw the pictures on the flash drive" Levi locked eyes with Eren, "I know what you saw. The pictures of me beaten, blood all over me. You know why I murdered those people and you also saw Jean kill my best friend. You saw the torturing that I did, and now you know why. Because Jean wanted me too."

"I understand" Eren said, but there was something else. Something Levi was not telling him. "Keep going Levi.. I want to know everything."

Levi took a shaky breath and looked away from Eren, "Things kept going like that, it was the same thing every day, every week, every month. He brainwashed me into thinking what I did was good, like I was doing the world some sort of favor. And I guess I was too young to understand that what I was doing was wrong. My family is french, so was Jean. We both taught each other more and more french so we could speak in code during meetings. I became friends with Isabel and Furlan, they were the only two people I could trust. They were the first to find out about the recruiting, but I made them keep it a secret."

"To get some deals, some of the clients needed some extra.. push." Levi's hands began to tremble and he held onto his sweatshirt, "Jean had me sleep with them for extra money for him, but he would be there to watch to make sure they wouldn't leave any marks on me. That was Jeans job."

Eren felt anger course through his veins, "Levi.."

The raven turned away, "do you think I'm disgusting?"

"No" Eren took no time to answer Levi's question, "No Levi, God no. I don't think you're disgusting, it was not your fault. All of this was Jeans fault baby, not yours."

"I did it to protect Isabel and Furlan" Levi mumbled, "They owed Jean money and he said they could stay in the gang if I began sleeping around, so I did. All wanted was the people I cared about to feel safe, so I did every unthinkable thing Jean wanted of me. He broke me when I turned sixteen, and when he knew I wouldn't leave.. things got worse. There was a man named Reiner Braun, he led another gang that was up and rising and he hated Jeans guts. Jean wanted to try and mend fences with them so he sent me in to try and make a deal, but it back fired when Reiner caught me on my bullshit. It ended in me jumping out a two story window and crash landing on top of Isabels car, and I was down for the next week with a dislocated shoulder. Jean was not happy about that."

"What did he do?" Eren asked, fearing the answer. 

"He beat the shit out of me to the point where I almost died, right out in his front yard too. He was so angry he didn't care that we weren't in the privacy of his room, a couple other members pulled him off me and I was on bed rest for two weeks. I didn't wake up for four days, and when I did, Jean raped me again to" Levi did air quotes with his fingers, "to put me in my place"

Eren shivered, this man was pure evil. It's a wonder that Levi was alive.

Levi sighed and tilted his head back, looking up at the stars. "It was after that, that I realized I needed to leave. Kenny was released from rehab and I formulated a plan with Isabel and Furlan right before my eighteenth birthday, which was the video that you saw. I told them to tell Jean I was joining up with Mike, who is my roommate, up on the north side. Mike tried to strike a deal with Jean and I a long time ago, that's how we know each other. Now that I think about it, I should have taken his offer but I was too stupid back then. This story was one that Jean would believe. I said goodbye to Isabel and Furlan that night, sneaking into Jeans room and stealing that flash drive and grabbing a couple more fixes of heroine along with a shit done of money that was rightfully mine. It was around six thousand dollars.. and I snuck out."

"Did you go back home?" Eren asked curiously. 

Levi sighed and nodded, a look of dread filling him. "I did, Kenny found me shooting up in my room a week later. We didn't have money to send me to rehab so he did an at home detox, which was awful. I was sick from school for two whole weeks, throwing up. I felt like I was going to die, and I wasn't mad at Kenny for forcing me to quit. At the time I was, but now I wasn't. I came clean to Kenny about what happened to me while he he was in rehab, and he installed security systems and got me into other habits to get my mind off of anything. I couldn't go to a therapist, or to the cops, because I would be caught and jailed. We had to do everything at home."

"I can't imagine how that must have been for you" Eren leaned forward, rubbing at Levi's knee. "Baby, you should know I would never even think to judge you because of this. You were a victim, do you understand me?"

The raven sighed, "after I detoxed, I switched schools and went up to the north side. That's where I met Hange and Erwin. They don't know the whole story, all they know is I'm rough around the edges and that I don't like talking about everything. I know I dated Erwin but we didn't love each other like that, and I was still getting over Jean. Then I come to Maria and meet you.."

Eren perked up at the mention of himself.

"You were so different from anyone I met. The opposite of Jean, you're so kind. You handle me with such.. softness that I've never had before. You're so understanding, especially after the incident where I pulled a knife on you. You forgave me, and said that whatever caused my instincts to act like that, that it wasn't my fault. Everything that I've done.. you've told me that it wasn't my fault. It means a lot because.. because Jean always told me that it was" Levi put his hand over Erens, rubbing it softly. "You made loving you so easy when I tried not too fall for you, but the kindness that you've shown me.. it's unlike anything I've ever had."

Erens face softened, grabbing Levi's hand and kissing at his knuckles. "Because you deserve it Vi, you deserve the world."

Levi locked eyes with Eren, "please tell me you see me as Levi, not Rivaille" he whispered, almost begging. 

"We will leave that name with your past, hun" Eren intertwined their fingers, "but thank you for telling me everything, Vi. Now I understand, and I promise never to hurt you again. From now on, we'll look towards the future, not the past, alright?"

That put a small smile on Levi's face, "Yeah, okay"

"And about that flash drive" Eren bit his lip once he saw Levi tense, "why do you still have it?"

"I stole it from Jean with the intention of showing it to the police and putting him in jail, but then when I watched it I realized that the videos of me were on there. I didn't know what to do. Part of me wanted to keep it, another part of me wanted to destroy it. I've kept it with me ever since, I don't know what I want to do with it."

"Well, you can't keep it" Eren said firmly, gripping Levi's hand a little bit tighter. "I won't allow you to keep it."

"But-" Levi faltered when he saw the determination brimming in Erens bright eyes, he sighed. "Well, how do I get rid of it?" he asked.

Eren stood up and held out his hand for Levi to take, and when the raven took it he intertwined their fingers. "Just follow me" he led Levi inside and he leaned down, picking up the flash drive from the floor. He turned around and looked at Levi, who was watching him closely. "Put your shoes on Vi, we're going to the beach." he said, walking to the bathroom and grabbing a small paper bag and some tape, along with a hammer he found in the tool kit. 

If Levi didn't want to do this, he made no move to stop Eren. He followed suit and put his shoes on, grabbing his phone and putting it in his back pocket of his shorts. He decided to keep the sweatshirt on since it was Erens, and he grabbed their room key. Levi followed Eren out the door, shutting it behind them and following Eren out of the hotel.

They walked down the stairs and went out the back entrance to the hotel that led to the beach. It was nice outside, the stars were out and the crashing waves were such a soothing sound Eren could fall asleep right here right now. He led Levi to the beach, walking slightly in front of them. They walked towards the beach, and Levi would've kept walking but then he felt a hand on his chest. He looked up at Eren, "why did we stop?" he raised his eyebrow. 

Eren didn't answer Levi and turned towards the tree they stopped next too. He took the flash drive out of his pocket and grabbed the small amount of tape he grabbed, using his teeth to bite some off. With steady hands, he taped the flash drive to the sturdy tree and turned to look at Levi, who was confused. He handed Levi the hammer he brought down with them, "take it"

"You sure I should have a weapon?" Levi asked, the last time he had a hammer he bashed someone's head in when he was seventeen.

"Take it, I'll be right here" Eren comforted. 

Levi eyes him suspiciously but took the hammer from Eren, "Why are you giving me this?"

"Throwing it in the ocean won't be enough for your conscious" Eren began, "And I know you're angry I went through your things, use that anger and smash the flash drive to bits."

"This won't settle my anger, I've killed people" Levi glared at him, "you think destroying one little flash drive is going to change how I feel about you invading my privacy?"

"No, but I know it'll feel better having that thing destroyed and out of the way so you have nothing to worry about anymore. You will always be safe with me Levi, so.. destroy it. We're looking to the future now, so let your past go."

Levi hummed and looked down at the hammer, holding it tightly in his hand. This had to be done, now that Eren knows, he can't risk anyone else finding that flash drive. It was stupid of him to keep the damn thing anyway, he should've destroyed it years ago before those images of him killing people burned in the back of Erens mind. 

"Step back"

Eren did as he was told, taking a couple steps back from Levi.

The raven brought the hammer up, eyeing the flash drive. That one little thing could ruin his life, it's a miracle that Eren was the only one who's seen it. A burst of anger coursed through him and he swung, hard. The sound of the hammer hitting the tree was deafening, Eren covered his ears as he watched Levi hit the flash drive a good three of four times in a row. He watched as Levi's hands shook, pure anger shown on his face. _Good,_ Eren thought to himself. _Just let it out, Levi._

Levi grunted as he hit the flash drive again, which was already smashed into pieces being held together by the tape. He was destroying any evidence of Jean, of him in the past, this was his chance. 

With one more final swing, Levi swung as hard as he could. This hit cracked the tree and Eren decided to stop in before Levi would knock down the whole damn tree. He put his hand on Levi's wrist when he went to hit again, "it's destroyed Levi, you're finished. Stop"

He didn't want to stop, but he did. Eren knew what was best for him, and right now he trusted Eren more than anyone else. He put his hands down, not fighting when Eren took the hammer from him. "I fucking hate him" he growled. 

Eren nodded and walked to the tree, untaping the smashed flash drive and putting it in the small paper bag he brought along with him. He rolled up the bag and gave it to Levi, "this is your past"

Levi looked down at the bag that was put in his hands, it was. He bit his lip, "what do I.. what do I do with this?"

"It's time to let it go" Eren smiled softly and put his arm around Levi's shoulders, leading him to the big body of water that was right behind them. "Throw it in the ocean"

Levi frowned at that, following Eren to the ocean. Once they reached where the water almost touched their feet they stopped. Levi looked down at the bag in his hands. If he got rid of this, then he got rid of any association he had with Jean. This had to be done, so why was it so hard for him to do this? He should have done this forever ago. 

"Fuck you" He gripped the bag tighter, his emotions seeping through. He's been through so much, Levi was so tired. He had to let go, it was the best thing for him right now. 

Moments passed of Eren waiting patiently, he understood now. He understood everything. Listening to Levi's back story was heart breaking, all the raven wanted to do was look out for his friends and family and he went to the darkest length to do so. Eren promised himself to take care of Levi, and now he knew what Kenny meant by taking care of Levi. Someone needed to take care of Levi, instead of Levi taking care of other people. It's about time for Levi to relax, and Eren would do anything to make him happy. 

Levi took a step back and put one foot in front of the other, eyebrows knitting together in concentration as he winded his arm back. "You piece of shit" With a deep breath, he threw the paper bag as far as he could. 

The bag landed a couple meters in front of them and immediately started to sink. There it goes, everything Levi had sworn to keep secret. His entire past, gone. 

"I'm so proud of you"

Levi looked up at Eren, not saying anything. All he did was step forward, hugging Eren as tight as he could. "Thank you, Eren."

Eren smiled softly and hugged Levi back, pressing a kiss to the top of his boyfriends head. "Of course baby, I love you so much."

They were out there for another couple moments, one was mourning the other was feeling proud. However, they were both very tired and decided they needed to sleep. Eren broke apart from the hug and turned, leaning down, offering Levi a ride on his back. The raven didn't bother arguing and he jumped on Erens back, wrapping his arms around Erens neck and resting his head on Erens shoulder, closing his eyes. "Fuck Jean" he said sleepily. 

"Yeah" Eren chuckled, "Fuck Jean."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now you know of levi's back story, and so does eren.  
> hopefully you all enjoyed.  
> now, prepare for the drama to unfold.  
> thank you for reading, leave kudos!


	25. Killing Ourselves To Live

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the gang finishes their freshman year of college :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after this chapter shit really goes down i am so excited  
> thank you to everyone who is reading this book

Spring break seemed to fly by faster than the six of them wanted it too. They spent the rest of the time swimming down at the beach and getting their tans on, although Mikasa and Levi both barely even tanned. Both of them were paler than ever, and they simply blamed it on their genetics, which now made sense since they are related, everyone believed them

On the second to last day they all went to see a movie premier down at a bar and grill, it was their perfect conclusion to an awesome spring break. The six of them ended up getting their photo taken and having it printed out in six different copies, each of them getting one. This had to be their favorite vacation ever. 

Packing to get back on the plane was the worst part, or maybe returning all the cars was. They hated to see the beautiful cars go back to the rental shop, but they knew they all could not afford to keep something like that because it was so nice. With a regretful goodbye, the gang said goodbye to the nicest cars they had ever seen. 

"How did you get the money for the cars?" Eren asked Levi when they went back to their room.

"the money I stole from Jean, and help from Petra"

That was another thing, now Eren could ask whatever questions he wanted to and Levi would answer him honestly. No more lying between the two on where Levi got his money or why he was having a bad day. It was nice because the two of them understood each other. Both boys could not be happier. 

Hange had noticed the change between the two boys as well, but she chose not to say anything about it. Her best friend looked happier and more easy going, and she did not want to ruin that. So when she saw Levi acting all lovey-dovey on Eren later that night, she chose not to comment on it. But she did smile and thank whatever gods that Levi met Eren.

"You and Eren seem to be doing really good" Hange smiled at Levi as they sipped some coffee together in a coffee shop down the road of the motel.

Levi's face brightened at the mention of Eren, "yeah? I think so too."

"I heard yelling last night when you left my room, everything okay between you two?" She asked lightly, knowing not to push her friend. 

"Everything is fine" Levi rushed to say, almost too quick. "I explained some things to him about my past and I guess he just understands now. I'm really lucky to have someone like him, Hange."

She smiled at him, "I'm glad, Levi."

The day they would leave Florida came faster than they all would've liked. After packing all of their bags they went down to the airport, flagging down a taxi in the process, despite Annie's glum mood from sitting in a random car that looked awful and it was a bright yellow, her least favorite color. Once it was time for their flight, they loaded their bags in and got on the plane, sitting in the same order that they were in when they arrived. 

Eren wrapped his arms around Levi, who laid his head on Erens shoulder. He had his headphones in and a book in his hands, one that Erens mother had given him before they went back to Maria after winter break. Eren didn't know that Levi still even had it. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Levi's head.

At the feeling of lips on his head, Levi took out one headphone and looked up at Eren. He wore his black framed glasses since he left his contacts in his bag on accident. "what?"

"Nothing" Eren responded with a smile, he carded his fingers through Levi's conditioned hair. "What book are you reading?"

"One that your mom gave me" Levi looked back down at the book, "it's pretty good, I'll be finishing it soon. You wanna read it after?"

"I might have already read it before to be honest, living with her and all.. she made me read a lot" Eren chuckled lightly. 

Levi smiled, "course she did"

The rest of the flight was silent, it did take almost nine hours to get back to North Dakota. The gang was awake the entire time since they had enough time to sleep the night before, they stayed in the hotel and slept until early morning. All of them either read something or watched a movie they downloaded onto their phone. It was nice and peaceful. 

Nine hours later the gang made it back safe to Maria University. They exited the plane after getting their bags once it landed, and while Hange and Moblit loaded into Moblits car, Mikasa, Annie, Eren, and Levi all loaded their things into Mikasas car. By the time they got back to North Dakota, it was almost nine in the afternoon and they still had to unpack because school started the following Monday.

"God, I'm so tired" Annie leaned her head against the window, hand on top of Mikasas that rested on her thigh. 

"Me too, but once we get back to our dorm we can unpack and go to sleep. We'll order in some food, I didn't eat any of that nasty air plane food." Mikasa made a right turn, entering in the parking lot of her housing addiction. She parked her car and turned it off, looking at the rear view mirror at her adoptive brother and distant cousin in the back seat. "Hey idiots, we're here, let's go."

Both Eren and Levi looked up from Erens phone, which was playing a youtube video. Eren shut his phone off and nodded, unwrapping his arms from Levi since the raven was sitting on his lap. "fucking finally"

All four of them exited the car and grabbed their bags. Eren and Levi said goodbye to Mikasa and Annie, turning around and walking towards their academic housing building. The weather was warm here but not as warm as Florida, but it seemed to be around sixty degrees out. To Eren it felt like bliss, not like the hot summer sun but it was considered warm weather where he came from. 

Unlike Eren, Levi was back to wearing long sleeves. He was wearing one of Erens jackets over his shirt, and a cap to match. Ever since Eren saw Levi wearing a cap in the videos and saw how cute he looked, he bought a cap in Florida and begged Levi to wear it. The raven would not admit it, but he thought he looked good in the cap and has barely taken it off since. 

"I'm so tired" Eren said as they arrived to their housing, walking inside and towards the elevator. "For some reason I couldn't fall asleep on that flight at all."

"Too eager to get back to school?" Levi teased, elbowing Eren's muscular arm.

Eren rolled his eyes and shoved Levi playfully, "Whatever, asshole"

As they went in the elevator, Eren went to press the button for the second floor but Levi grabbed his wrist. Eren eyed him suspiciously, "everything alright, Vi?"

Levi didn't know what it was, but ever since he explained to Eren his story he hasn't wanted to be away from him since. He frowned at how childish he was being and released Erens wrist, "yeah, everything is fine."

"I know everything about you now, you can't lie to me" Eren turned to face Levi, "what's up?"

"I don't know" Levi crossed his arms over his chest, "I just.. I don't want to be alone."

Eren raised an eyebrow, "what do you mean? You'll have Mike in your room with you."

"Never mind."

"I'll help you unpack in your room and then once you fall asleep I'll head to my room and unpack, how's that sound?" Eren said kindly, cupping Levi's cheek and stroking it softly with the soft pad of his thumb.

Levi leaned into the touch and nodded his head, "yeah, okay."

The younger man turned and pressed the third button, keeping an arm wrapped around Levi as they silently went up. When the elevator doors open they walked out, Levi took his room key out of his pocket and slid it through the pad to unlock it. When it turned green he opened the door, dragging his bags behind him as he entered the room. The left side of the room was still empty so Levi assumed Mike wasn't back yet, he would have to text and ask him later. 

He set his bags down on his neatly made bed and turned to Eren, "you don't have to help me unpack just.. be here, I guess?"

Eren walked up to him and leaned down, kissing his forehead. "Course, I'll turn on Mike's TV. I doubt he'll mind if we use it."

It was a deal. While Levi unpacked his bags and shoved Erens bags to the side, Eren had turned on some TV show and laid back watching it. He peeked at Levi a couple times, covering his mouth when Levi went on his tippy toes to reach the top shelf of his closet. When Levi would turn around Eren would quickly look back at the TV screen like nothing had happened, but on the inside he was still laughing. God, Levi was so adorable.

Sometimes it was still hard to believe that Levi was capable of the things he told him about. As he watched Levi gently unfold and smooth out his clothes, he couldn't believe that those soft hands murdered almost a dozen people. Or his pretty face of his had been beaten, or the random scars weren't from playing around but from being stabbed or shot. 

One thing Eren had a big issue with was the fact that Levi had been raped numerous times by Jean. It made him want to completely stop having sex with Levi, to allow him to cope on his own through his own emotional turmoil. However, when he brought up stopping sex for awhile with Levi while they had been down in Florida, it quickly took a turn for the worst. 

"Levi" Eren spoke his name so cautiously, like he was glass, like he would break. 

Levi had looked up at Eren, he was currently on top of him about to unbutton his shirt and get frisky after a long day of strolling the beach. "Yeah, what's up?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. His bangs falling onto his face, he really needed a hair cut soon. 

Eren wasn't in the mood and he thought that having Levi blow him would get him hard, but he soon realized that wasn't the case. He had to stop Levi, it had only been two days since Levi confessed his life story to him. "I don't want too" 

The raven pouted at that and Eren hated doing this to him, he's never stopped Levi from giving him a blow job. Levi sat up so he was sitting on top of Erens thighs, a frown on his face. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, it was the first place his mind had gone too, that he's done something wrong.

"No, baby, God no" Eren pushed himself up and scooted back so he was leaning against the head board. He held Levi in his lap, "You didn't do anything wrong."

Levi looked up at him, confused. "But you never stop me from giving you a blow job"

"I know" Eren kissed his forehead, "But I need to talk to you about something."

That didn't settle well in Levi's stomach, he then knew exactly what this was about. His shoulders sagged and he glared at Eren, his eyebrows pulling together in anger. "Is this because I told you Jean raped me?"

Eren sighed, he didn't want to fight with Levi. But he now understood why Levi's first reaction to confrontation was to fight, to argue, because that was all Levi knew for three years of his life. He rubbed Levi's back, "Levi.. I just want to make sure you're okay with it. You told me right after Jean you dated Erwin, and you guys fucked all the time and now you and I are. I just want to make sure you've had time to heal."

Levi crossed his arms, sneering at Eren. "I'm fucking mentally capable of having sex Eren, Jesus"

"I know that Vi, I'm not trying to argue with you" Eren pleaded, "just hear me out"

"Whatever"

"I'm not trying to offend you or fight, Vi. You know this, I hate fighting with you. But after what you told me, I don't want to do anything to trigger you."

Trigger him? Levi was confused. "Trigger me? I let you do anything you want, you always ask. I like sex, I love sex. I don't see the problem."

Eren nodded his head in understanding, deciding to take a different approach. "What did Jean do to you when he raped you?"

Levi frowned at that, thinking back to his days with the gang. "He got me really drunk or high, it never happened when I was sober so I don't remember a lot. I actually don't remember any except for when I turned sixteen. He hold me down and manipulate me into thinking it was okay."

"But he had full control over you."

"Yes..? Eren I'm confused, what does this have to do with anything?"

He sighed, cupping Levi's cheeks with his large hands. "Because Levi, when we fuck, I tie you up and I fuck you to the point where you're so overstimulated that you almost pass out. You like all this rough stuff, and don't get me wrong, I love it, I really do. But.. Jean had full control over you when he raped you.. and you let me have full control over you when we're fucking and I.. I don't know, I don't want you to see me like Jean, I guess"

"Eren" Levi leaned into his hands, "There's a difference between you and Jean. I trust you, I didn't trust him. You always ask me first, he never did. You take the time to prep me, he never did. Sure, Jean raped me but we also had sex all of the time. It's something that I'm used too. I even started it a couple times. It wasn't all rape, Eren. I trust you though, I like what we do, and I love you. I'll never see you as him, when I see you I don't think of him. So.. please, don't ever think I associate you with him, okay?"

Eren listened to Levi's words closely, and then nodded his head. Okay, he could do this. He wasn't a bad boyfriend for doing this, it was okay. Levi said so. He wrapped his arms around the smaller man, pulling him close. "You tell me the moment you don't want to do something, okay?"

Levi nodded against his chest, taking in all the warmth. "Of course."

They stayed like that for a little while longer before Levi grew uncomfortable, and Eren noticed. Levi whined and looked up at Eren, "can we fuck?"

Eren looked down, surprised. "You want to fuck _now_ after what we just talked about?"

The raven nodded and Eren sighed, running a distressed hand through his hair. "Alright alright, lay on your back, I'll do all the work this time."

It was strange, really, now that Eren thought about it. Levi had wanted to have sex just as much as he did before telling Eren about his past. Levi had explained to him that he just really loved sex, especially with Eren. In the past couple days Eren had come to a conclusion. 

He concluded that Levi's subconscious still was in the cycle that it used to be, that he didn't really think about Jean at all anymore. In the back of Levi's mind, he didn't see what was wrong with it now. All the raven knew was that when he was horny, he got sex, and it felt good. Levi had told him some time after that he just loved how he felt afterward, having Eren take care of him while he was in post orgasm bliss, it was his favorite. That's when Eren understood.

Sure, Levi loved the sex, but he loved being pampered. It was something Levi would never admit, but Eren caught on. When they finished fucking Levi always clung to Eren and let him pamper him with a bath or shower or something. Then they would cuddle till they fell asleep watching some movie. His boyfriend loved that shit, and who was Eren to take that away from him?

Levi finished unpacking and had moved to dusting things off and Eren said nothing about it, knowing that when Levi cleaned, he would clean everywhere. Hange had told Eren about Levi's small case of OCD, he doesn't need any medication for it but sometimes the raven got overwhelmed and needed to clean. Levi never told him, Hange was the one to tell him before Levi had made it a little more obvious.

He watched Levi work, wiping down the desk and using the feather duster to dust by the bed. When Levi finished Eren pulled him down on the bed, hugging him tight and not letting him go. Levi whimpered and gave up, "Ereeen let me go!"

"Nope" Eren laughed, "watch TV with me, relax."

Levi only huffed and nodded, cuddling against Eren and watching his show.

-

You know one thing the gang did not miss during spring break? Homework. They all have been swamped with it, every single one. It was almost like non stop for awhile since they were all preparing for finals. These finals would make or break their entire semester, and some students were more stressed than others. 

Take Hange for example, tonight she was studying with Levi who volunteered to help her write a final paper and she was seething because she could not understand something that would be about twenty percent of her whole entire final.

"I don't get it! Why do I even need this class in the first place?" She groaned, "this is so stupid"

"That's how I felt about my math class last year" Levi spoke as he wrote her introduction paragraph to her essay. 

"It's impossible, why do I have to take an english class anyway? My major is science, why do I need to learn how to interpret all of these writers?"

Levi frowned and looked above Hange's laptop that he was writing on, "stop complaining, you're not even writing this paper, I am."

"Only because you've read this a million times, you could write a paper like this in your sleep" Hange grumbled as she worked on one of her chem lab papers. "I don't know why you enjoy writing"

"It's like an escape" Levi looked back down at Hange's laptop and kept on typing. "I like writing the same way you like your science shit."

Hange groaned and put her pencil down, "but my science is interesting"

Levi glared, "yeah? So is my writing"

"Ugh!" Hange stood up from the booth they were sitting at, she used her hands to flatten her shirt as she stood. "I'm going to get some coffee, you want some tea"

"Tch, you already know the answer to that"

She let out a laugh and walked away towards the cafe, and as soon as she left Levi got a FaceTime call from Eren. He put his headphones in and answered it, a grin forming on his face as Erens face came into view. "Hi Eren" he greeted.

The camera was only a little blurry, but it looked like Eren was outside somewhere. _"Hey Vi, what's up?"_

"Writing Hange's paper" Levi rolled his eyes, "not like I have my own finals to worry about."

 _"Ah damn"_ Eren sighed, _"And to think I was going to ask you to write mine."_

Levi hummed, "too bad, I'm already busy with other shit"

Eren laughed, _"I'm kidding Vi, Jeez. How about when you're done studying with Hange we could have a movie night? Mike will be at your dorm but he's the one who texted me."_

"Really?" Levi was surprised, "since when does Mike text you to hang out? I honestly thought he wasn't a big fan of you?"

_"No idea. But so you wanna have a movie night?"_

"Sure. Tell Mike to buy some snacks, I'm running low on money"

Eren frowned at that, _"Running low on money, huh?"_

Levi shrugged his shoulders. "I mean it wasn't my money, but yeah I'm running out. I only have a a couple thousand left over, but it's not as much as I left with."

 _"Well, I have extra money to buy you shit"_ Eren smiled, _"Text me when you get to your dorm then I'll come over. Love you, bye"_

"Love you too. Bye" Levi hung up the face time call and took his headphones out, setting them down on the table. Just in time too, because Hange came back setting a hot cup of tea in front of him. Levi grabbed it and blew on the hot liquid, taking a sip moments later.

Hange sat down across from Levi, "was that Eren?"

The raven nodded, "yeah, just checking in. Lets hurry and finish this shit up, I have a date tonight."

-

Movie night went decent, Eren talked Levi and Mikes' ears off about his finals. Eventually Mike had thrown a book at him to shut him off, causing Levi to spit out his drink and laugh. It was a relaxing night, something the three of them needed. When Eren fell asleep hours later, being the first one to do so, Mike turned to Levi and the raven could tell the mood int he room drastically changed. 

"Spit it out, Mike" Levi had said, running his hands through Erens hair. His boyfriends head was in his lap, arms curled around one of Levi's strong thighs and blanket pulled up to his shoulders. He looked cute honestly, Levi couldn't get enough of it. 

Mike was sitting on his own bed, bowl of popcorn in his lap and a serious look on his face. He looked at Levi, bangs hanging over his face. "Sales went down on the south side"

Levi frowned, stopping his movements in Erens hair. "Really?"

"Downright plummeted. Something went wrong on Reiners end now the entire south side is paying for it." Mike took another bite of popcorn. "Last thing I heard was that Jean wasn't doing too hit, Rico walked out on him and you know how he is without a right hand man."

"He deserves it" Levi said angrily, "Why should I care if sales plummet? I'm not there anymore. And why were you down there anyway? I thought you didn't do that stuff anymore?"

"Just got stressed, went down for a second to pick some stuff up. Just thought that I'd let you know, is all"

Levi shrugged and carded his fingers through Erens hair once more. "I don't give a damn."

But Levi did. 

-

"I don't see why you couldn't take Hange with you to go shopping"

"Okay and? You couldn't take Annie or Connie?"

"Just because we're related doesn't mean we should spend time together"

"Ta gueule" (shut up) 

Both Levi and Mikasa were out looking for something gold to wear at the end of the year party that some frat house was hosting. Black and yellow was Maria's school colors, Levi and Mikasa didn't own anything gold so Connie suggested that they go shopping together, saying they needed some 'family bonding.'

They ended up at the mall, trying on clothes for about two hours until they finally settled on something to wear. Mikasa had found a yellow bandana and a yellow cover up to put over a black tank top. Levi bought a yellow and black buttoned up shirt and bought it in a size large so it would envelope him when he wore it. He paid for Mikasas lunch despite her protesting and now they were sitting on her car, eating their burgers. 

"Je peux maintenant parler francais" (I can speak french now) Mikasa said, wiping her mouth with her napkin.

"Seulement parce que je t'ai appris" (Only because I taught you how) Levi took another bite of his burger. "Shouldn't we head back now? I really have to go to the bathroom"

"Of course you do" Mikasa rolled her eyes and started her car, "I'll drop you off, don't forget your shit in my car."

"Wouldn't dream of it." 

Mikasa drove Levi back to his dorm. Once she parked he said goodbye and left, walking inside his building and hauling his shopping bag with him. He was about to press the button to open the elevator, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He tensed and immediately swung back, elbowing the person but instantly regretting it when he heard a familiar shout of. "Ow, Fuck!"

Levi looked down to see Eren doubled over, holding his stomach painfully. He rolled his eyes, "Tch, you should know better than to do that, brat"

"You're calling me a brat after you knock the air out of me?" Eren looked up, "You're fucking rude"

"And you're an idiot" 

Eren sighed and slowly stood up, rubbing a hand over his stomach where Levi jabbed him. "Ow"

Levi leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, what do you want?"

"To talk to you about summer" Eren began, looking down at the raven. 

"What about it?"

"Do you think we could split summer?"

"Split how? I want to go home."

Eren stuttered, "well- yeah.. I mean, you will go home but I was wanting to uh.. come home.. with you?"

The smaller man raised an eyebrow, "I mean.. yeah, I wouldn't mind. I wouldn't do half though, maybe two weeks? We could do where you come down for the first two weeks then go back home to Michigan, and then in July I can come up to Michigan and visit."

A smile spread across Erens face, "Yeah, that could work."

"Now that you're done talking, I'm going back to my room. I'm tired" Levi said and he turned around, pressing the button to open the elevator. 

"What? You don't want to spend time with your boyfriend?" Eren asked, entering the elevator with Levi and watching the raven press the button to the second floor. 

"I have to study for five fucking finals Eren, and they're all within two days" Levi sassed, "I have a paper due tonight, and excerpt due tomorrow. And four fucking tests on Tuesday. I want to finish working on this shit."

"Woah, easy there tiger" Eren ruffled Levi's hair but got a glare in return, he backed away sheepishly. Okay, so he'll let the hair ruffling be Kenny's thing only. "Why so angry?" he inched closer to Levi, running his fingers down his arm seductively. "I could fuck that stress right out of you, you know?"

Levi rolled his eyes and shoved Eren away, "No Eren"

Eren was shocked, Levi denying sex? Wow, he really had to be stressed about finals. Eren only had one final this semester, and he was lucky. All of his friends had one final, so how did Levi end up with five? "Five finals huh, how's that?"

"Because I major in composition and minor in psychology, I have a heavy load" The elevator doors opened, "Go to your room, I gotta study"

Eren sighed and leaned down, pressing a kiss to Levi's lips. "Goodnight baby, I love you."

Levi crossed his arms. "I love you too."

-

"Oh God, keep going Eren, please"

"Oh god, oh fuck, Erennn.."

"Fuck!"

"Oh yeah baby, there you go, scream my name, let everyone here know you're mine"

" _Eren!_ " 

Eren had to reach down and hold Levi's body so the ravens legs didn't give up on him. He had Levi face down ass up on the bed, hands tied behind his back with new fuzzy hand cuffs Eren had bought during spring break in a sex shop. Levi had already finished off twice, and this third time really took a tole on his body, and he let out a sob as he was overstimulated. 

"Shh, alright" Eren had Levi sitting on his thighs now, buried deep inside of him still as Levi rode out his orgasm. The ravens head was tilted back, tears leaking down his red face. Eren smiled softly and held Levi close, pressing kisses to his cheek. "Feel good?" he asked softly. "Baby?"

"Ngh, Eren" Levi's body shook with after shocks as his eyes fluttered open, looking over at Eren. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he felt Erens dick rub against his prostate. "Fuck, you wanna get off?"

Eren rubbed Levi's stomach, tracing over his abs. "Already did earlier, tonight was all about you hun. I know you stressed over your finals, which I'm sure you passed all of them"

Levi whimpered as he rolled his hips, "Yeah, me too."

"Because you're so fucking smart" Eren breathed, bucking his hips up. "So smart that you got a full ride here"

"Ah! Ereeen" Levi groaned, "fuck, shit.. again, fuck me again."

"That would be my pleasure" Eren growled and he pushed Levi back down so the raven was face down ass up once more, and began fucking him senseless. 

They kept going until Levi came again, and once he did he went limp underneath Eren. The younger man acted swiftly as he wiped Levi down with the towel and tossing it aside, and using the key to undo the hand cuffs. Once Levi's hands were free, Levi groaned and cuddled up into the blankets. Eren grabbed his water bottle and opened it, pressing it to Levi's lips. "Here babe, take a drink"

Without any protest, Levi wrapped his lips around the rim and drank a couple sips. He signaled to Eren that he was done and the younger man pulled it away, taking a sip himself before putting the lit on it and setting it down on the night stand. Eren leaned down and kissed Levi's head, "I'll grab you some snacks, okay?"

Levi didn't answer him, but Eren already knew of the reply. He got up and walked to his closet where he kept his hidden snacks so Connie wouldn't steal any. He grabbed a couple yogurt covered skittles and came back to the bed, laying down next to Levi and pulling him close. He wrapped his arms around Levi and kissed his cheek, offering him some skittles. "Here, something sweet. Plus they're really good."

Levi sniffled and reached his hand in the bag, popping a couple into his mouth and chewed them. "My stomach hurts" he grumbled.

Eren raised a brow, "What, like a stomach ache?"

"Don't know." was all Levi said closed his eyes, "maybe it's cause we fucked a million times within the past three days."

"Never thought you'd want to chill on the fucking" Eren chuckled, eating another skittle. 

Truth is, Levi had other things on his mind. One thing was his finals, another thing is what Mike told him about what was going on in the south side. It wouldn't bother Levi as much but.. he still cared about Isabel and Furlan. They were like his brother and sister, and he would do anything to protect them. Hearing that something went wrong with Reiner really put him on edge, because even though Reiner was an up and coming gang, he had the full capabilities of overturning Jean and buying him out. Since sales plummeted.. Levi wondered how Jean reacted. 

Jean was quick to anger. Levi knew that first hand, he was Jeans punching bag for about three years. He knew how angry Jean could get, and the last he heard from Furlan and Isabel was on his birthday. They said that they would be with Jean until July because then they could move, but if sales went down now.. then Jean would be pissed. And Furlan and Isabel were right in the middle of that shit storm. 

God, one part of Levi wishes that he was back home to take the heat away from his two friends. Furlan was very smart, very strong too, but Jean was quick and swift, just as he taught Levi to be. Levi and Jean fought the exact same, both had the same moves because Jean trained Levi to be top tier, better than him but not good enough to overpower him. Levi was one of the few people who could take out Jean, only because he knew Jeans only weakness. 

_"What's that?"_

_Jean turned around as he changed into a different shirt for the night, looking down at Levi, who was sitting on his bed. His arm was in a sling from Jean roughing him up in the front yard a week ago, his face still ugly and bruised. "What's what?"_

_The raven struggled to stand, when he did it was on wobbly legs. He shouldn't be standing now, since he got the shit beat out of him by Jean a week ago. He was sure he had some broken ribs but he wouldn't comment on that, Jean had finished fucking, or raping him, four hours ago and he hurt, bad. "That" Levi used his free arm to point._

_He was confused, looking to where Levi was pointing and it was the scar at the bottom of his spine a little above his tail bone. Jean put his shirt on to cover it, but it was too late, his boyfriend had already saw it. "It's nothing."_

_"You say it's nothing, but it's obviously something" Levi felt like he did not know right from wrong, he was sitting here casually talking with the man who beat the shit out of him a week ago and raped him not even four hours ago. His ass still hurt. He had no idea how he has any balls left to be with this man. "qu-est-ce que c'est?" (what is it?)_

_Jean sighed and rubbed over the scar on his back with his rough bruised hands, giving Levi a soft glance. "You sure you should be up right now? Lay down, Rivaille"_

_Levi pouted and sat back down on the bed, not wanting to make Jean any angrier than he has been. "Allez-vous repondre a mon question?" (Are you going to answer my question?)_

_"Tu a de la patience, Rivaille" (have patience, Rivaille) Jean grumbled and leaned against the closet door. "Got into a bad fight when I was eighteen, two years before we met. Bastard shot me at my spine, was in the hospital for weeks because I couldn't move my damn legs." He rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the closet door, going to the bed and sitting next to Levi. "It's why I have you with me all the time raven, I protect you so much, but I also need someone to have my back. There's no one I trust more than you, it's why I can't let you leave."_

_"Protection?" Jean needing protection? Levi was weaker than him, why would he need Levi to protect him? Levi pondered another question. "How do I protect you?"_

_Jean looked over at Levi, who was now about to turn eighteen soon. He's changed, he's not as soft and that's what Jean loved about him. "You always have my back, literally. I have you stand behind me to cover my back, because if someone hit's this scar too hard, it'll trigger something and my legs will go out for a couple hours or so. It happened once right before you joined, and I never want it to happen again." He grabbed Levi's free hand, bringing it up and kissing his knuckles. "Puis-je te croire?" (Can I trust you?)_

_Levi nodded, "yeah, of course"_

_He made a mental note to never forget that was Jeans weakness._

"Hey, come back to me" 

Levi looked up at Eren, "huh?"

Eren rubbed Levi's arm, "everything alright?"

"Yeah" Levi nodded and laid his head on Erens naked chest, "I'm going to sleep."

"Okay" Eren kissed his head, a thousand questions swirling his mind but he decided to keep his mouth shut. "Goodnight."

Fuck, Levi really hoped Furlan and Isabel were going to be okay. He buried his face into Erens neck, breathing in the smell of sex to get his mind off of things back home. Levi eventually fell asleep, Eren right behind him. 

-

It was the day of the party. Everybody was officially finished with school and they were ready to head to the delta house to party and relieve some stress. All the students of Maria University dressed up in their black and gold outfits, putting on some face paint and jewelry and making their way to the delta frat house. 

Well, almost everyone. 

Precious Eren was running late because he could not find his other shoe, so he told his friends to go to the party without them so he would not be late. To be fair, tomorrow him and Levi left for California so all of their stuff was in boxes. They wouldn't leave till early afternoon anyway, but Eren still had all of his stuff packed. 

Eventually Eren found his other black shoe and soon left his housing, arriving at the delta house in full gear. Just like all the other parties he went too, there were beer bottles and people littering the yard and loud music on the inside. He passed by a couple of his class mates, saying hello before opening the door and walking inside. 

Personally, Eren loved this frat house because it was freaking huge. It had it's own dance floor for fucks sake, and disco ball! There was red and gold everywhere, from peoples' clothes to the decorations, even the cups and snacks were colored black and gold.

Since Eren did not come with his friends he had to look around, eventually spotting Connie alone in the kitchen holding a plate of nachos. He made his way over, waving once he reached him, "Hey Connie!" he smiled, grabbing a drink on a tray and taking a sip.

Connie looked up at Eren, rolling his eyes and taking a bite of the nachos. "Hey man, what's up? You're late."

Eren rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "yeah I know, my bad, couldn't find my other shoe. Thought you didn't like nachos, so why do you have them?"

"Because you're boyfriend stole my girlfriend from me"

"Girlfriend?" Eren tried to think of who, but the answer came quick to him, a smile forming on his face. "Sasha? You're dating Sasha?"

Connie smiled lovingly, "as of earlier today, yeah"

"Congrats man" Eren took another sip of his drink, "what were you saying about Levi?"

"Your midget of a boyfriend-"

"Who is taller than you, by the way"

"Whatever" Connie grabbed his drink and took a swig, "Him and Sasha are baked, and he stole her from me to head to the dance floor and get even more fucked up. Sasha gave me the nachos they were sharing, that was like fifteen minutes ago. I didn't even know Sasha and Levi were friends."

Eren shrugged, "they get high together at parties and that's about it, that's all I know. Which direction did they go in anyway? I'm tryna dance with Levi before he gets too fucked up"

Connie pointed, "over there, Hange and Moblit are over there too. Mikasa and Annie around here somewhere, but I'm pretty sure they might be fucking upstairs"

"Didn't need to know that" Eren downed the rest of his drink and threw the cup away, reaching for another filled one. "Have fun with the nachos!" he waved to Connie.

"Fuck off!

Eren laughed and weaved his way through the large crowds of people, awkwardly saying hi to a couple people he knew and finding his way to the dance floor. He didn't even try looking for Levi since the raven was just that short, so he looked for Moblit instead. 

He stood on his tip toes and once he saw a mop of brown hair he walked over, pushing past some people and barked out a laugh at what he saw. 

There was Moblit, drink in his hand and eyes wide and round at what his girlfriend and girlfriends best friend were doing. Hange and Levi were dancing on each other, Hange in front of the raven and grinding down like there was no tomorrow. Levi was swinging his hips to the beat, one hand on Hange's hip and the other holding a blunt in his hands, laughing as Sasha downed another shot and got behind Levi, dancing behind him. 

Obviously they were all fucking wasted. Hange's shirt she had been wearing had been tossed to the side so she was only in her shorts and bra, Levi wore nothing under the yellow button up he had on and he had the entire shirt unbottoned, and Sasha was stripping as Eren arrived, throwing her shirt off next to Hange's previously discarded shirt and drinking again, spilling some on Levi's shoulder/ 

Eren walked over to Moblit, bumping into some other people and sipping his drink. "Having fun?"

Moblit looked down at Eren and laughed, his cheeks were red from the hot temperature in the room. "I think your boyfriend stole my girlfriend."

"He has a way of doing that" Eren smiled and he watched over the three party animals. 

The dance floor was packed, everyone was touching someone. Levi pressed the blunt to his lips, inhaling and holding it in before exhaling and he leaned his head back on Sashas shoulder while he held onto Hange. To anybody else Levi probably looked like a player, having two women on him, but everybody in his friend group knew he was openly gay and only sucking dick. 

Moblit watched Hange's ass bounce against Levi, "wish that could be me" 

"You and me both" Eren sighed, "Before they get too fucked up, I'm gonna separate them so we can dance with them, wish me luck."

"You'll need it."

Eren walked forward too the three and they didn't even notice. He pushed someone out of the way, apologizing as he did and walking close to Levi, grabbing his chin and turning his head, pressing a kiss that Levi quickly melted into. "Baby"

Levi's eyes opened, red and wet from sweat. "Eren?"

"Let me get some action on the dance floor with you, let me show everyone you're mine"

The older mans eyes darkened and he took another hit of his blunt, blowing the smoke out and shooing Sasha and Hange away. Once the two girls went back to their boyfriends, Levi turned and pressed his back against Erens front, pulling him close and dancing to the beat of the music. 

"You look amazing tonight" Eren said into Levi's ear, hand moving down from Levi's sweaty chest to his perfectly sculpted abs. "I want to fuck you"

"What" Levi breathed out, leaning his head back on Erens shoulder and looking up at him, dazed. "You wanna head straight to fucking? Thought you wanted to dance?"

"I do, but fuck, I'm already hard and I just got here"

"Well, deal with it. You wanted to dance, you asked for it" Levi smirked and pushed his ass back against Erens cock, "You wanna fuck me, huh?"

Eren nodded, grabbing Levi's hips tightly. "Fuck yes"

"Then let me get you hard in front of all these people, Yeager"

Their night went smoothly. Switching from the kitchen to the dance floor, to outside to get some air. Everyone was fucked up, high or drunk or for most, even both. Hange and Levi had stood on the bar at one point, calling out shots and throwing alcohol over everyone. Moblit and Eren had to help them down, but that didn't stop the two best friends from fucking shit up the rest of the night. They poured each other shots, getting Sasha and Connie to join in at some point. 

Even though Moblit and Eren were two drunk baby sitters, they were having the times of their lives. Levi, Hange, and Sasha were off the rails, literally. Along with some other class mates, the three of them had begun sliding down the stair case rail and every time one would reach the bottom, they got another shot. Levi slid down next, accidentally falling on top of Sasha and both of them were on the ground laughing to the point where they were wheezing for the next five minutes. Hange was next, landing next to them and passing each of them another shot, which they all downed together.

Moblit, Eren, and Connie all just watched in shock as their significant others downed a tremendous amount of alcohol and somehow found new things to do and not die from falling over. They watched the three call shots over the table, dance on the dance floor, take over the DJ for a second, and now fall down the stair case failing.

"I don't know how they're doing it, so much energy" Moblit sighed. 

"I can't keep up" Eren ran a hand through his hair, hitting his blunt Levi rolled for him a little while ago.

"Uh guys, they're doing something new" Connie spoke up.

The three of them turned their heads to see the other three climbing the stairs again, at first they thought they would slide down but no. Levi, Sasha, and Hange had another idea. Hange lead them up the stairs and she slipped herself over the railing, squealing as she fell down onto the trampoline and bouncing up high. Yes, this frat house has a trampoline because it is just that big. 

Sasha and Levi followed suit, laughing as the drinks they were holding spilled all over them once they landed on the trampoline. "Oh fuck, did I hit my head?" Hange wondered, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"No, you hit my head with your head!" Sasha glared but couldn't keep a straight face when her vision got blurry, she started to laugh, "Ah shit.."

"Let's go get them" Connie sighed.

Moblit and Eren followed Connie to the trampoline and they each went to their significant others. Eren walked over to Levi, who was laying on his back and straight up vibing. He had alcohol spilled all over hi, face paint on his face, arms, and chest mixed with sweat and glitter. Once he saw Eren in his line of vision he smiled lazily, "well hey there hot stuff, you wanna fuck?"

"I think you're too drunk for that, Vi" Eren chuckled, "come on, let's get ya off of here"

Levi nodded and happily let himself get picked up by Eren, wrapping his arms around Erens neck as his boyfriends hands supported the back of his thighs. "Still got that blunt on you?"

Eren kissed Levi's temple, "we're gonna get you to the kitchen to get you some water"

"Whatever, loser"

The younger of the two chuckled and once they got to the kitchen, he took Levi's phone out of his pocket and set it down next to Levi, whom he had sat on the counter just a second ago. Eren opened the fridge and behind all the alcohol was water bottles, he grabbed two and handed one to Levi, opening the other and drinking it himself.

He watched Levi drink and he was about to say how reckless Levi was being, but the ravens phone had started vibrating. He looked to Levi, who didn't even notice, so he grabbed Levi's phone to see who was calling. "Unknown number, want me to answer it?"

"Yeah sure, whatever"

Eren nodded and he grabbed Levi's phone, pressing the answer button and putting the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

_"Levi? Is that you?"_

"No, this is Eren. Whos this?"

 _"Don't we have the right number?"_ It was a males voice, he sounded distressed. _"Is this Rivaille Ackermans phone number?"_

There was that name again, Rivaille. Eren instantly knew this was important. "Yeah this is Levi's phone, he just had me answer it for him. Who's calling?"

_"Tell Levi it's Furlan and that Isabel is with me, we have to talk to him."_

Oh damn, he was speaking to Furlan. "Yeah hold on, let me get him" he turned to Levi, smacking Levi's leg to get his attention.

Levi jumped and glared, "fuck was that for?"

"It's important" Eren shoved the phone to Levi, "It's Furlan and Isabel"

Levi paused, his eyes widening. Oh no, why would they be calling his regular phone? They knew never to call this number no matter what, he had a burner phone for a reason. He grabbed Erens arm, "help me outside, I gotta talk to them."

Eren nodded, "sure thing" he wrapped his arm around Levi's waist and they quickly shoved past everyone, walking out of the house and into the front yard. Both boys were fucked up, Levi was trying his best to sober up because of how important this call seemed to be, and so was Eren, preparing to deal with an emotional Levi if this all went bad. 

Once they made it a decent distance from the frat house, Levi put the phone to his ear and stood across from Eren. "Furlan?"

_"Levi! Thank God you picked up."_

"Why would you call this number" Levi sneered, "you're not supposed to even have it."

_"Man, are you drunk? High?"_

"Both" Levi grumbled, "why are you calling?"

_"B-Big bro!"_

Levi's heart dropped at the sound of Isabels voice wavering, was she crying? He straightened up, "What is going on?"

 _"You have to come home"_ She cried, _"It's Jean, he's freaking out Levi, we don't know what to do."_

No, no no no, he knew this would happen. Ever since Mike told him about the sales going down, it was only a matter of time before it got to Isabel and Furlan. "Okay, hey, calm down. What happened? Why is Jean losing his shit?"

Eren perked up at Jeans name, but stayed quiet. 

_"Reiner broke into his home and tried to find something, sales records I think. I don't know, but Jean is freaking out and he's been throwing shit and abusing the drugs around here. He hasn't touched Isabel, but him and I had it out earlier and my face is busted."_

Anger coursed through Levi's veins, "you two need to leave"

_"Reiner brought you up"_

That surprised Levi, why would Reiner even remember him? "What did he say?"

_"Said Jeans gang went to shit after you left, said if you would have stayed then everything would have been fine. He said he liked you, that he would've taken the deal if you came over one more time. Jean apparently looked everywhere for your flash drive, but freaked out because someone stole it. He thinks Reiner took it when he broke in, but a big stash of our drugs are missing."_

"Fuck" Levi ran a hand down his face stressfully, when Jean loses it, he loses it completely. Levi was always there to shield them away from this, now he was on the other side of the country. 

_"What do we do, Rivaille? Think and help us out here. We don't have much time left, Jean is in the other room and he's tossing shit."_

"Um, okay, fuck" Levi could barely think straight with how much liquor he drank tonight, but finally an idea popped into his head. "I have a safe house, not the one with Jean but my own. I built it on my own. It's on the south side on seventh and malibu street, behind the abandoned building and passed the trees. No one shout know it's there and it should be safe, there's a key in Jeans house. If he did not find it, it's taped under the living room couch right behind the leg. Stay safe until I fly back home."

_"Thanks Levi"_

_"Thank you big bro! Love you!"_

"Love you too. Be home soon."

Eren was listening from afar, when he heard Levi hang up the phone he walked back over to his boyfriend slowly. Levi's had a lot to drink, and now he looked stressed but eerily calm. "Levi?"

Oh Levi was angry, beyond angry. He just got out, and now he was back in. He was pissed. Livid. He glared up at Eren, sweat beading down his forehead and he snarled. "Let's finish with this fucking party and head home to California" He grabbed Erens hand and lead him inside.

"I got some asses to kick when I come home." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh.. looks like a recipe for drama! tune in for the next update!  
> leave kudos!


	26. I Bet You Don't Curse God

"Leviiii, you think I'm sober enough to fuck?"

"No you dunce, let's get back to your room, give me your key."

"My car keys? My car is in Michigan!"

"Your room keys dumbass, come on, fork 'em over."

The entire night Levi didn't sleep, he helped Eren get back to housing after the party. Which was a nightmare. He took Eren to his room, laying him on the bed and changing him into pajamas. Levi went ahead and showered, changing into pajamas and sitting on the bed while Eren slept soundly. He was still drunk, but even if he was dead tired, Levi would not be able to sleep.

With all the thoughts swarming his mind, he couldn't even think to sleep. His mind was racing. He was going home and walking into a mess. It's not like Levi wanted to go back to the south side, but he vouched to himself that the only reason he would ever go back would be to help out Isabel and Furlan. His friends said they would never need help, but the fact that they asked for Levi's help.. he knew it wouldn't end up very well. 

It was one thing to call Levi on his birthday on his burner phone, but it was another thing to call because of an emergency on his regular cell phone. That means the two of them must have kept the slip of paper for the past two years, Levi knew better to call the number back that they called him on. The two of them used a burner phone, which means it would have been trashed as soon as they finished their phone call. 

All Levi could do was hope and pray that the two of them would be alright between now and the time him and Eren landed in Long Beach. Isabel was loyal and determined, she would be the one to push Furlan to leave Jeans home and head for the safe house. Furlan was strong and smart, he would protect Isabel and lead them towards Levi's safe house. 

Only time would tell, Levi just prayed he would get there in time. If anything happened to either of his friends, Levi wasn't sure what he would do. 

They kept him sane at a time where he felt like he was losing his mind, the least he could do was take Jeans beating one more time to keep them safe. 

Hours passed and the sun began to rise, shining through the dorm room window. Levi wasn't even keeping track of time, he had turned the TV on awhile ago and had binge watched the entire first and only season of Blue Exorcist and began to read the manga on his phone. He felt like he was in his own little world until he heard Eren groaning. Levi looked over to see Eren rolling onto his stomach, burying his face into the pillow. He smiled softly, "You finally awake?"

Eren groaned and rubbed his head, "Oh God, my head hurts."

"I know, there are some pain killers and a bottle of water on the night stand next to you, the bathroom is all cleaned too so don't puke all over it." Levi looked back down at his phone, continuing to read the manga. He was tired, his eyes felt heavy, he chose to ignore it though since Eren was now awake. 

"Ugh" Eren reached and grabbed the pain killers, popping them into his mouth and drinking some of the water. He wiped his mouth and set the water down, looking to the edge of his bed to see Levi sitting down on his phone. "How long have you been up?" he asked curiously, eyeing Levi closely. He looked tired, he must have taken a shower though since he looked freshly cleaned. Something was different though, what happened last night?

Levi didn't look at him, "I haven't slept."

Eren raised an eyebrow, rubbing his head with his hand where it hurt. "Didn't sleep, huh? Why?"

"Do you not remember anything from last night?" Levi put his phone down and looked over at his boyfriend. He was hoping Eren did, he did not want to repeat last night because despite being a little bit sober, Levi's train of thought was clouded from the drinks. He's been going over that phone call all night, angry but not angry enough to act out in violence. If Eren has taught him anything, it was to be peaceful.

"Um.." Eren rubbed the back of his neck nervously, trying to remember. Obviously it was important, considering Levi didn't sleep and Levi loved to sleep. Sometimes he slept when he got bored, when he wasn't even tired. Then it all came back to him. Missing his shoe. Late to the party. Babysitting Levi. Phone call from Furlan and Isabel. "Oh yeah, right.."

The raven stood up and rubbed his eyes, the lack of sleep taking a tole on him. He shrugged it off, not bothering to explain it to Eren since it seemed like the brunette remembered a little bit. "I made breakfast for you and put it in your mini fridge, you'll have to heat it up in the microwave."

"You're leaving?" Eren slowly sat up, careful of his pounding head. He wanted Levi to stay and cuddle with him. 

"I have to make a phone call and finish packing, I'll meet you downstairs at ten and we'll book our flight at 10:45." Levi leaned down and pressed a kiss to Erens head, "I love you."

Eren smiled at the kiss, loving the open affection. "love you too, Vi."

Levi's eyes softened at Erens words, Eren deserved better than an ex thug like him. He stood back up and grabbed his phone, walking out of Erens dorm room and down the hall. He took a swift right and pulled out his phone, going to his recent calls and tapping on the number his friends used to call him last night.

"Come on.." Levi really hoped that they didn't throw the phone out, but they probably did. It was a known rule around Jeans gang, burner phones were the main reason they were still abroad. 

A couple more rings later and Levi realized they did not have their phone on them. He sighed and pulled the phone away, ending the call and shoving his phone in his pocket. _They need to be okay,_ Levi thought to himself. _They have to be._

Despite the guilt tearing him apart, Levi pulled himself together and went back to his dorm room. He opened it with his room key and stepped inside, seeing Mike packing everything. Said man turned around at the sound of the door being opened, spotting Levi. "Finally came home?"

Levi shut the door behind him and yawned, "I was at Erens, didn't sleep."

"Why not?" Mike asked, concerned.

"Nothing" Levi walked over to his already packed bags, making sure he had everything in them.

"It's obviously something, walking in here all broody and shit. So what's up?" 

Levi turned around jerkily, "It's Jean."

Mike raised a brow, "sales are affecting you? Why?"

"Tch, you idiot, it's not the sales" he sat down on his bed, "It's Izzy and Furlan, Jean lost his shit and I sent the two of them to my safe house. I have to go there tonight when I arrive back home."

"You're going on the south side? Levi you can't, you know gang rules. If you leave and come back, you get shot" Mike glared at him, how could his friend be so stupid? That was gang rules, even the north side knew that. 

"I know that, you dunce" Levi seethed, of course he knew that. He would be the one to do the execution sometimes with Jean. He remembers all the faces of the people he shot, he would never forget. "Jean wouldn't kill me though, not after all that we've been through." He was sure about that though, sure, Jean would beat the shit out of him but Jean was incapable of killing him. Even after Levi left, Jean never came after him. They had a weird bond between them, they loved but hated each other.

Mike sat down on his own bed, "Oh really? From what I heard he beat the shit out of you every day, who says he wont kill you?"

Levi sighed and put his face in his hands, "I've been thinking about it all night, somehow I have to do this without getting Eren involved because he's coming home with me."

"Does he know about your gang affiliation?"

"Yes. He knows everything. For some reason he isn't turning me in" Levi chuckled darkly, "he's a fucking idiot."

Mike moved his bangs out of his face, "He loves you and doesn't want anything to happen to you, that's why. Although, I know you did some shady shit back then, it's a miracle they never caught you."

Levi frowned, "that's what I'm stressed about. It's one thing hearing about the south side, but it's a whole different story once you're there living in it."

"So what are you going to do?"

"It all depends on if Furlan and Izzy made it to the safe house. If they did, then great, I'll give them the rest of the money I stole from Jean and tell them to high tail it out of Long Beach. If not.. then that's a different story."

"Do you need my help at all?"

Levi shook his head, "no, you stay and do your thing. The less people involved, the better. Besides, I know an officer now, so if I need any help I got him. Stay up north, Mike. If I see you down there I'll kick your ass."

Mike snorted, "whatever, man."

They both made sure they cleared out their dorm room before grabbing all of their bags and leaving. Levi said goodbye to Mike before he left with Eren, not missing the _"don't get involved in Jean's shit"_ comment that slipped through the older mans lips. Levi had shrugged it off, he knew better, he wouldn't. He had to keep Eren safe, and that was what he was going to do. 

The moment Levi went downstairs and saw Eren standing there, doing whatever on his phone Levi felt his heart grow heavy. Eren has no idea what he is walking into, maybe Levi could leave Eren with Kenny while he takes care of some shit. Or maybe he could make up an excuse and have him and Ollie hang out, maybe get ice cream while Levi fucked shit up in the south. 

God, Levi felt so tired. He wished he could fall asleep, but he couldn't relax enough to close his eyes and sleep. He dragged his suitcases lazily up to Eren and when he reached him, Eren looked down at him with that same soft smile that he always had around the raven. "Hey babe, you ready to board the plane? Moblit said he could drive us, he's at his car now."

Levi nodded, without saying a word. 

Eren must have picked up on his gloomy mood because he said nothing either, simply pressing a kiss to Levi's forehead and leading him out of the student housing.

It was hot outside, nothing like California, but hot enough to where they were both in shorts. The sun was beating down on them and they breathed out a sigh of relief after shoving their packing bags in Moblits car and getting inside, the cool air on full blast. Eren sat up front with Moblit, making a snarky comment that Levi would distract him too much and Moblit only laughed. He turned the radio on a low volume and drove his two friends to the airport, not missing Eren sliding his hand back and resting it on Levi's knee, who was sitting in the back seat in the middle, surrounded by packing bags.

Something was up between the two because Levi did not openly show any affection. He saw Levi reach and grab Erens hand, and when Moblit looked into the rear view mirror he saw Levi's head tilted back against the seat and his eyes were closed, bags under them. He frowned at that and looked to Eren once they got to a stop light, and he saw the frown on Erens face and the occasional glances to the back seat. 

Whatever was up with those two, Moblit did not want to be involved. 

He kept on driving. 

It was a twenty minute drive to the airport and a five minute walk to the terminal, so Levi and Eren quickly thanked Moblit for driving them and grabbed their bags, almost running inside. They showed the desk their tickets and when they heard their flight being announced they booked it towards their terminal.

Once they arrived they loaded the plane, sitting next to each other. Eren got the window seat this time, saying how he wanted to see the clouds underneath him and Levi couldn't tell him no when Eren did his puppy dog eyes. It was too cute, Levi would let him do whatever he wanted. 

So Levi sat down on the end, glad that no one sat on the other side of him. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes, hoping he could catch some sleep this time around before he has to deal with the shit storm that is Long Beach. 

Eren looked over at Levi, glancing at the clouds once more before leaning over and resting his head against Levi's shoulder. His whole body was turned, because even though he got sleep last night, his head was hurting from the hangover and his eyes feel droopy. He fluttered his eyes closed, already preparing to sleep.

Levi looked down at him when he felt the pressure on his shoulder, his face dark. This innocent man was coming with him home, despite knowing what Levi has done. Eren still trusted him enough, Levi hoped that trust lasted the entire time he was down there. 

With a soft sigh, Levi kissed the top of Erens head and looked straight ahead at the seat in front of him. 

This is going to be a long flight. 

Eren should have known being on a plane after a hang over would be a bad idea, he has no idea why he drank so much. One time already he found himself puking in the small toilet, coming back to his seat only to be coddled by Levi. His boyfriend gave him some mints and some water, carding his fingers through his hair while his stomach churned. 

"Don't feel good" Eren whispered, his arms wrapped around his stomach. He felt awful, the change in pressure was not doing Eren any favors.

"I know" Levi mumbled softly, he felt bad for him. Levi had gotten it all out of his system earlier this morning, Eren hadn't had the chance too. 

Now was the time.

"I think most of it is done, my stomach just hurts. I wanna sleep."

"Here" Levi lifted up the arm rest between the seats and scooted one seat over, "You're really tall so this might suck, but lay your head in my lap."

Eren didn't even care, he just nodded and laid down like Levi said. Levi knew what was best for him. He sighed once his head rested on Levi's muscular thighs and he had his knees to his stomach, wrapping his arms around them and closing his eyes. He felt Levi caress his arm, fingertips dancing lightly on his tan skin.

"Take a nap, I'll wake you when we land."

"Don't you want to sleep? You haven't yet" Eren peeked up at him.

Levi shook his head, "Just sleep Eren, I'm okay."

Eren was too tired, he just sighed and nodded his head, closing his eyes again. "Okay, goodnight Levi."

"Night."

-

Kenny had been waiting at the airport for what seems like forever, he knew the time the plane would be landing so why the hell was it taking so long? He had an overnight shift tonight and he was going to be late, considering it would take another hour to get back home and drop off both Levi and Eren. He sighed, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his bandana. It was hot outside, way too hot. He hated summertime in California, it easily got inot the hundreds in the blink of an eye. 

He played some games on his phone, scrolled through social media, looking through his work check list and then he finally saw a group of people exiting the airport. He looked up from his phone, squinting his eyes to look for Eren since Levi was too fucking short to be seen anywhere. He looked for that familiar mop of brown hair, about to start a fucking riot but eventually he finally spotted them.

The two boys were lazily dragging their suit cases behind them, and they looked _awful_. Levi looked tired, a evident frown on his face and a look of just dead tired. Eren was frowning too, looking like he was going to be sick. Kenny frowned, what the fuck?

He got out of his truck and opened his arms wide, ignoring the fact that something could be wrong. "Is that my munckin of a nephew I see?"

Something clicked inside Levi when he heard Kenny's voice, a smile forming on his face. At least something good was coming out of him coming home. He left Erens side and jogged up to his crazy uncle, dropping the bags when he reached the truck and threw himself into Kennys arms. Kenny was safe, he needed to feel that now before he delt with personal issues later. 

Kenny, as he does every time Levi comes home from college, wrapped his arms around Levi and held him tight. His boy smelled like strawberry shampoo and cologne, the smell so strong it made his nose sting. He smiled though, putting Levi down on the ground once Ere caught up to them. "How was your flight?" he asked. 

Levi shrugged, "boring, Eren got sick though, he's hungover and threw up."

"Ah, that's nasty" Kenny fake gagged and looked to Eren, holding his arm out for the younger boy, "Well what you little shit, you not remember me or something?"

Eren just smiled and walked up to Kenny, wrapping his arms around him. "Nice to see you too Kenny"

"Damn straight" 

They released from the hug and Levi shoved their bags into the back of Kennys truck while Eren sat down. Once Levi finished he got in the middle of his uncle and boyfriend, putting on his seat belt. "Everything is tied, let's go home."

Kenny nodded and started the truck, turning on the radio and making their way back home. 

Like Kenny thought, it was an hour drive back home. When he pulled into the driveway he didn't turn his truck off, but he did help Levi and Eren get their suitcases out. He handed Levi a piece of paper and the raven looked confused, reading the four digit pin code on it. "What's this?"

Kenny got back into the truck, "new pass code to the security system, had to change it. Heard it's been rough on the south side and didn't want to risk anything."

Right, Kenny had no idea about Izzy or Furlan, or even Reiner and Levi chose to keep it that way. He nodded, "okay, have fun at work."

"Whatever"

They waved Kenny off and dragged their suit cases to the front door, Levi typed in the new pass code and led Eren inside. Both of them were quiet as they made their way upstairs to Levi's room. The moment Eren shut the door behind them and sat his bags down, he crossed his arms. "Tell me what's wrong."

Levi went to his dresser and grabbed some pepto bismol pills, walking over to Eren and handing them to him. "Take those, it will help settle your stomach." was all he said, and he turned his back.

Eren growled and grabbed Levi's shoulder, holding him in place. "Tell me what's up Vi, you've been weird all morning, and you didn't even sleep on the plane."

The older sighed, "You know I want to keep you safe at all costs, right?"

"Well.. yeah" Eren was confused, "what's this about?"

Levi turned, looking up at Eren with tired eyes. "I have to go to the safe house to see if Izzy and Furlan are okay, and if they are I gotta give them my money so they can get the hell out of dodge."

"Get the.. I'm coming too."

"Eren-"

"You're not going alone" Eren put his foot down, Levi couldn't do this alone. "What if Jean shows up and you're there alone? I won't allow it. Either I go with you or I tell Kenny."

Levi glared, "you wouldn't"

"I will" Eren stood his ground, "I am you boyfriend and I care about you." he took his hand off of Levi's shoulder, "so, when are we going?"

Levi watched him, bewildered that Eren would put his foot down like that. Usually it was himself that acted like that. He sighed, "let me grab something, then we're good to go."

Eren watched Levi turn and he felt something course within him. A sense of protection. He's never felt the need to protect Levi from anything, but now that they were going somewhere that obviously bothered the raven, Eren felt like he needed to step up. Levi has defended him on many occasions, is this how Levi felt?

And if they encountered Jean, what would happen? Would he freeze up and Levi would protect him from his past abuser?

A creaking sound snapped Eren out of his thoughts and he looked to see Levi crouching down by his bed, tearing the floorboard apart and reaching down, grabbing something and pulling it up. It was a plastic bag and inside it was a small phone, Levi stood back up. "Its a burner phone" Levi explained, "common sense to ever gang member to have a dozen of these, Furlan and Izzy have this number so if they are in trouble, they would call this number."

"But they called yours last night" Eren pointed out.

"True, but this is different. They called my other phone because I did not answer this one, they don't know I'm in school." Levi looked up at Eren. "I shared many things with them, but my future was not one of them."

Eren nodded, "So.. what do we do?"

"We are going to my old safe house. It's technically not mine, but it is abandoned and I only had one key. I kept it hidden and Furlan and Izzy should be there. If they are then this will be easy.. but if someone like Jean or Reiner found them.. we're fucked."

"Why would Jean or Reiner be looking for them?"

"Because it's gang law. If you leave without warning, you get executed if you're seen on the side of town again" Levi shoved the phone in his back pocket and grabbed his keys, a mournful look in his eyes. 

Eren caught on then, pity evident in his voice. "You're.. speaking from experience.."

Levi nodded slowly, "some of those people I killed walked out, and if that happens to Isabel or Furlan I couldn't.."

At the sound of Levi's voice getting shaky, Eren walked up to him and wrapped his arms around Levi, kissing his head. "Everything will be fine, Vi."

The older rested in Erens arms, finding peace within them as he listened to Erens heartbeat. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Moments passed and Levi eventually pulled away from Eren, he went to his packing bag and unzipped the front pocket, grabbing the belt Eren got him for Christmas. Attached to it was the knife holder that rested on the belt. He hooked it through his belt loops and snapped it together, turning and looking back at Eren once more. "You ready?"

Eren nodded, still not sure what he was getting into. "I'm ready."

The two of them loaded into Levi's car. It was silent between them by the time they left the house to when they were on the road. Levi had put his locks on the car, making sure the windows were rolled up and resting his hand on Erens thigh, providing some comfort for Eren but mainly for himself. 

He was walking right into his past with a new lover by his side, he had to avoid being seen. 

He had to protect Eren. Levi put his sunglasses on and a had from his back seat and hoped for the best. 

Eren was looking out the window, eyes widening at what he saw as they drove. People were openly violent on the streets the further south they drove, there were no cops called yet but he did see someone reach for their phone. Some of the houses were run down, kids running into the street without a care in the world. Some windows were smashed in, other houses were left untouched. This part of town was the opposite from where Levi now lived, Eren didn't want to be down here any longer than he had too. 

He looked over at Levi once he felt the hand on his thigh tighten. Levi was still as he drove, sunglasses now on so his expression was unreadable. His lips were in a tight frown though, and that was enough for Eren to know that this was a side of Levi he had never seen. A side that Levi did not want him to see. 

He rested his hand on top of Levi's, looking back out the window as they drove. 

This was going to be interesting. 

Eren could have fallen asleep in the car if he tried, the drive was about an hour but they drove into a wooded area. He looked around, it looked like any other woods. Green trees littered the place, along with random hiking trails and fences around them. When Levi parked the car Eren got out, he could hear the birds chirping and the air felt so nice. Sure, there were some woods in Michigan, but they usually never looked so green because there was usually snow everywhere.

Another car door shut and Eren turned. Levi had gotten out, shoving his keys in his pockets and walking around the car. There was no emotion on his face, but Eren knew behind those stormy grey eyes that there was deep worry in them. He gave Levi a small smile, "alright Vi, where too?"

Levi swiftly turned, walking towards the brown wooden fence. "Let's go."

He jumped the fence with ease that made Eren want to cringe. Levi must have done this a million times. Eren shrugged it off though when he saw Levi look back at him impatiently, and he walked towards the fence. He climbed it and jumped, easier since he was a lot taller than the fence itself. Once he landed, he brushed his shorts off and turned back to his lover. "Where too now?"

"Follow me."

As they walked, Eren took in the scenery. It was beautiful and peaceful, so different than the reason why they were here. This wasn't just a stroll through the park like Eren would've liked, he knew that. They were here for another reason, but he took in this moment to overlook the man in front of him. 

Quiet moments were something he was used to dealing with around Levi. The smaller man did not like to talk, but bask in the moment. Under the direct sunlight, the black cap Levi was wearing should've been really hot. He still wore his sunglasses so Eren could still barely see his face, but Eren already knew why Levi chose to wear those items. To make sure he wouldn't be seen. Eren didn't have to wear anything considering he was a new face here, and he was grateful for that.

Levi's shoulders were tense, but he showed no signs of hesitation as they derailed from the trail path. Eren observed them as they walked through the plants and trees, Levi looked so concentrated. He bet that if he tried to scare Levi in any way, than his boyfriend would have his head. 

The air was hot as could be, the trees providing some shade for the two boys. It was silent out here besides the birds chirping and the sounds the two of them made as they stepped on random twigs.

Eren was lost in his train of thought, but what brought him back was the fact that he collided with something. He looked in front of him and saw Levi standing there, arms to his side and unmoving. Eren frowned at that but then he looked in front of him, "I don't see anything" he said, confused. 

"It's underground" Levi said, he stepped forward and saw foot prints in the mud. He frowned, they were large prints. And where the spare key was, there was a bullet wound in the tree. "Something happened, stay behind me."

With little doubt, Eren stayed behind Levi as the raven knelt down and wiped off some branches and grass from a wooden door in the ground. Levi grunted softly as he opened it, and down below was a stair case. It almost looked like a hidden basement. Levi went down the stairs with no hesitation, beckoning Eren to follow him with his fingers. 

Levi walked down the stairs, all he could feel was anticipation. He didn't know whether to expect good or bad, everything looked in place and clean like he left it last time he was here. The walls were cleaned, everything. Levi almost wanted to laugh, maybe his friends cleaned it when they got there. He went to laugh, but then he looked down at the foot of the door at the bottom of the stairs. 

Blood. A whole puddle. Levi's anticipation quickly turned to anger, "Fuck."

"What's-" Eren stopped when he saw what Levi was looking at, "Oh shit, is that blood?"

"Yeah" Levi scuffed his shoe in it, but it didn't smear. "Been here awhile, whatever happened, happened a couple hours ago."

Eren watched as Levi looked at the wooden door. He almost asked something, but Levi brought his foot up. "Wait, Vi-"

Too late, Levi's foot already collided with the door and smashed it open with ease. It was loud, echoing in the small area the two of them were in. Eren had flinched back at the sudden violence, "Levi-"

"Shut up."

Once the door was kicked down, Levi had stepped forward inside and used the flashlight on his cell phone to look around. 

What he saw made him angry. The safe house was small, only a bed on one side and some cabinets that held canned food. There were a couple other things, but they were all tossed to the ground. There was blood trail from the bed leading out of the room. Angry red streaks covered the floor, some on the wall by the bed and a little on the ceiling. Everything was thrown to the floor, the blankets were missing and the pillow was thrown across the room. It looked like some got.. oh no..

Levi went pale, the only people who knew about the safe house was Isabel and Furlan. They were both against weapons so they wouldn't have one, so someone had to have found them. But.. something looked different. 

He looked around at the blood, it wasn't enough for someone to be dead. Sure, there was a puddle and some streaks, but not enough for someone to bleed out. That reassured Levi a little bit, Furlan wouldn't let anything happen to the both of them. 

"What happened here?" Eren asked, looking around and taking it all in. He's never seen something like this before. It kind of scared him, but judging how Levi took in the scene, the raven had seen something like this plenty of times before. 

"I don't know, but what I do know is that Isabel and Furlan are not here. They're not dead, there's not enough blood for that. The blankets to the bed are gone, which means if one of them got hurt, then they covered their wound with that and made it out of here" Levi explained, he looked back to Eren. "We need to get back to the car."

Eren had no idea how Levi could be this calm and collected over something like this, but he didn't question it. He was in Levi's territory now, he had to trust that Levi would keep him safe.

Without another word, Levi led the both of them out of the safe house. He had barely said a word, but if that is how Levi wanted it to be, than Eren would be silent too. 

He followed Levi down through the trails and to the car. He couldn't understand what Levi was feeling, he was too afraid to ask.

Once the car came into view, Levi unlocked it. "Get inside, we're going home."

They got into the car, locking the doors behind them and Levi went to start the car, but Eren grabbed his arm. "wait"

Levi gave him a pointed look, "what, Eren?"

"Where are we going?" Eren asked, he was going to get an answer out of Levi.

"I don't know, dammit" Levi yanked his arm out of Erens grip, he was angry and confused. "The only thing I know right now is that I have no idea where my friends are and something happened in _my_ safe house that only the three of us knew about. So I don't know Eren, I don't know what I'm doing."

"We have to calm down and thing about what we're going to do" Eren said calmly. "You need to think with a level head, because right now you're not."

Levi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I know, I know. Just.. fuck. I have no idea where they are. They have no where else to go, they live with Jean. The only other safe place they could be was here, and they got out."

Eren put a hand on Levi's thigh, "hey, look.. Is there-"

Vibrating, Levi's backside was vibrating. Levi reached down and grabbed the burner phone that was in his back pocket, flipping it open to see a random number calling it. Levi took a glance at Eren, a worried look in his eyes before clicking the answer button, putting the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

_"Levi! Thank God you answered!"_

"Furlan? Where the hell are you? I'm at the safe house now." Levi frowned, something about Furlans voice sounded different. He sounded panicked, Furlan never panicked. 

_"You need to come to the hospital. Now."_

"What happened?"

_"It's Isabel. She got hurt. Come quick."_

Furlan hung up the phone before Levi could ask anything else. 

Levi pulled the phone away from his ear, mouth opened in shock. No, Isabel couldn't be hurt, this couldn't be happening. 

Eren was about to ask but then Levi started the car abruptly, he held onto the seat belt tightly as Levi backed out of his parking spot like a maniac and sped down the road. He held on tight to his seat belt while Levi drove, looking over at him as he did. 

It was scary how Levi could suddenly flip a switch. Eren thought he was angry before, but now was a whole other story. Levi's hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white and a frown on his face. Eren was hesitant to ask, "Vi..?"

"What?" Levi snapped.

"What happened?"

"Something happened to Isabel, we're going to the hospital."

-

Levi swung the car into the parking spot and got out, rushing into the hospital with Eren hot on his tail. The raven ran to the front desk, scaring the shit out of the woman working it.

"Isabel Magnolia's room number please, I'm her brother. She's a red head who would've been brought in with her boyfriend, Furlan Church."

The women, Angie, Levi read her name tag, raised her eyebrow. "Hun, do you have a form of ID on you that I can take a look at?"

He nodded and grabbed his wallet, taking out his ID and handing it to her. When she examined it, she raised an eyebrow, and Levi answered the question in her eyes. "Adoptive brother, I never changed my last name and she did."

Angie nodded her head, typing on the computer and handed Levi his ID back. "She's in room 221, second floor and take your first right."

Levi dashed off, which left Eren to tell Angie thank you and following his distressed boyfriend. They were running, up the stairs and down the hall. If both of them were not in shape they could not have run up two flights upstairs with no problem. 

Levi frantically looked around, counting down the numbers until they finally reached room 221. The doctors they passed gave them weird looks, but both boys could not care less. Levi put his heal down to the ground to stop him from running, almost slamming into the door frame. 

When he walked into the room, the only sound that could be hear was Eren and Levi's heavy breathing mixed with the sound of the heart monitor.

There, laying on the bed was one of the most precious people Levi has ever met. She lay there, face pale and eyes closed, hair messy in her two lower pig tails. She looked so small and fragile, some small scrapes on her face. Dried blood stains on her skin, dressed up in a hospital gown with sheets covering up to her small chest. 

Next to her was a tall blonde, Furlan, sitting in the plastic chair next to the bed. He had his head resting on the bed, eyes closed, Levi assumed he was asleep. He looked troubled, but his arm was in a sling if you peeked closely. 

Eren watched Levi tense and he put a hand on his shoulder, leaning down to whisper. "Is this them?" of course it was them, Eren recognized the two of them from the video that was on the flash drive. 

"Yes" Levi whispered back, afraid to wake the two in front of them. It's been so long, he wanted to hold both of them. These were his best friends besides Hange and Erwin... they were like his other half. Two people he swore to protect, two people he took beatings for over two years. 

He felt weird being here, it was so out of line. He swore never to come back to this side of town. Levi took a step back, "I can't be here.."

Eren wrapped an arm around Levi's waist in a comforting way, "They called you for a reason Vi, something else must be up. But whatever you choose, I will be right here with you. I got your back."

Levi took in a breath and nodded, he knew that. After everything Eren had seen and he was still here standing by Levi's side, he did not doubt it anymore. Eren would be with him through whatever he decided to do with this situation. He swallowed his nerves and spoke with as much authority he could muster, "Furlan, wake up."

Groaning, Furlan slowly woke up at the deep voice that penetrated the room. He blinked a couple times, looking in front of him to see Isabel. He knew that deep voice though, it's one he hasn't heard in ages. Furlan turned his head to look at the doorway to the room, eyes widening at who he saw. It was Levi. "Levi, you made it."

The raven took the cap and sunglasses off, handing them to Eren and leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. "Babe, hold onto these for me."

"Will do" Eren smiled softly, "want me to go?"

"No"

"Okay"

Levi turned around again and saw Furlan now standing up, walking up to him. He tilted his head up to face his friend, his brother. "Furlan."

"Levi." Furlan said once he stood in front of him. Levi looked so different, yet so the same. He filled out more, and his voice was deeper than before. He had bags under his eyes, but he looked like he was being taken care of. He looked behind Levi to see a taller man behind him, bright teel eyes and high cheek bones, he looked young. He looked Levi's age, really innocent but he was muscular as well under his clothes. Furlan made a mental note to try not to piss either of the two of them off, Levi and the man behind him looked like they could beat anyone. Although the man behind him looked like he couldn't hurt a fly, Levi looked murderous enough to make up for it. 

Eren watched the two, Levi stood in front of him facing Furlan. The blonde was tall, like Erwins height. His arm was in a sling and his clothes looked roughed up, dried blood on them. His hair was messy, and there were some scrapes on his face. So, this was Furlan. The man Levi swore to protect, and on the bed was someone else Levi held close to his heart, Isabel. He didn't know what to say or do, he just held Levi's sunglasses and hat, suddenly finding them very interesting.

Levi was the first to speak between the three of them, "It's nice to see you, man." He held out his hand for Furlan to take. 

Furlan smiled and grabbed Levi's hand, bringing the smaller man into his arms and they patted each others backs. Furlan pulled away first and looked at Eren, "So, who's this guy behind ya? Boyfriend I assume?"

"Yeah. Furlan, this is Eren, my boyfriend. I met him at school. Eren this is Furlan, my best friend, damn near my brother."

Eren held out his hand to shake, "Nice to meet ya"

Furlan shook his hand with a smile, "Nice to meet you too."

"Tch" Levi looked over at Izzy on the bed, and then back at Furlan. "Enough with the formalities, what the hell happened to Isabel? Was it Jean?"

"Mean as ever" Furlan rolled his eyes and pulled away from his and Erens hand shake. He looked at Isabel, "let's sit down."

They walked and Furlan sat down next to Isabels bed like he was before, Levi pulled up a chair next to Furlan and Eren did the same, sitting next to Levi, listening to what Furlan was explaining to them. 

"We were in your safe house, but someone found us. They must have followed us there or something, because while we were sleeping they came inside. I woke up in time, the knife had cut my vein in my arm and the man ran away after we fought, Izzy had to help me out of the safe house." He took a shaky breath and looked at Isabel, who lay still. "We didn't have anywhere to go, we didn't have anyone besides Jean. He's all we've known for years."

Levi glared, "so how did Izzy end up like this?"

"She got shot" Furlan breathed out, "in a drive by, there were gun shots blazing while we were walking to the hospital and one of them hit her in the chest. They did surgery and everything, but.. they said it is a 50/50 chance that she will wake up from the coma.. let alone live."

Levi felt his heart drop and the color leave his face. Eren must have noticed, because he grabbed Levi's hand and intertwined their fingers together, "Did you see who did it?" Eren asked. 

Furlan eyed Eren, then looked at Levi, a silent question in his eyes. 

"He knows everything" Levi mumbled, his head down and bangs covering his face. "Go ahead and say what you're going to say."

"I have no idea who it was, but it might have been someone from Reiners gang or something. I have never seen the car before, but if I bet my money on anything, it's that." Furlan explained. 

Levi started to feel his eyes droop, he struggled to keep them open and he looked at Furlan. "I heard sales went down, and there's shit going down around here. I can stop it, just give me time. I'll fix this, and I'll find whoever did this to her."

Furlan glared at him, "do you not listen to logic, Levi? You will be walking right into a bunch of shit, and if Jean sees any of us he will shoot us on the spot."

"He won't kill me" Levi snapped, "he won't, not after the shit him and I went through."

Eren did not like where this conversation was going, he gripped Levi's hand a bit tighter.

"I don't think you understand Levi, you are not Jeans first wing man. Rico was there first, and he easily replaced her with you. He might not have found a replacement for you, but you and everyone else are expendable."

Levi shook his head, that could not be true. Jean would never hurt him, why did he care if Jean hurt him or not? After all the shit him and that monster went through, he couldn't hurt the raven.. could he..?

Eren saw Levi's shoulders sag, he wrapped his arm around Levi's waist and looked at Furlan. "He hasn't slept in over twenty four hours, I think he's finally crashing."

"M'fine" Levi said, looking up at Eren, "Can you get me coffee, please?"

"Vi.."

Furlan butted in, "Levi, you need to sleep. Even I can see you need to sleep."

Levi gave him a pointed look, "fuck off." he turned back to Eren, begging. "I don't want to sleep yet, can I please get come coffee?"

Eren looked like he was in deep thought, but brought himself out of it and he nodded. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Levi's forehead and then standing up. "Course, but when we go back to Kenny's tonight, you are sleeping, do you understand me?"

With droopy eyes, Levi nodded. "Yes."

"I'll look after him" Furlan said with a reassuring smile, "would you mind grabbing me some too, please?"

"Course" Eren said and he turned around, walking out of the hospital room. He ran a hand through his hair.

Well, this outta be a fun summer break.


	27. Aint No Rest For The Wicked

_"You think that someday the three of us will end up in another state, in college and stuff?" Isabel had asked, they were on the roof of Jeans home, looking up at the stars that shined bright._

_Furlan had his arms wrapped around Isabel, looking up at the stars with her. "Maybe we'll end up somewhere nice, a huge house and a couple kids. Levi will be there grumpy uncle."_

_Levi just rolled his eyes, his arms were behind his head. "You two are nuts, I'm not that grumpy."_

_Isabel stuck her tongue out, "yes you are, a grumpy little midget."_

_"I'm taller than you."_

_"By an inch!"_

_Furlan rolled his eyes at the two of them, "You two are impossible."_

_Isabel just smiled, "what do you wanna be when you grow up, Furlan?"_

_"I want to have a nice home with you, I want to study medicine. But it's too expensive to do.. but if I ever get the chance, I want to be a psychiatrist. How about you, bel?"_

_She pondered her thought, "I want to be a teacher for little kids because they're so cute! I can't wait until we can leave here and start a family."_

_Levi looked over at them, a soft look in his eyes that was only reserved for them. He loved them, he wanted to make their dreams come true. "I hope you two get out of here when you can." he looked over at them, his hair falling into his face. He did not have his undercut yet, so his hair was spread out. "As soon as possible."_

_"the three of us can leave together" Isabel smiled at him, "we can overthrow Jean, we can take him! You two are super strong!"_

_Furlan put a hand over her mouth, "Bel, you gotta be quiet. No one should hear you."_

_She frowned, "Sorry."_

_Furlan looked at Levi, "Someday we'll get out of this, either together or apart. You got me?" he held up his fist._

_Levi smiled and nodded, raising his fist to fist bump Furlan._

_Everything happened so quick Levi could not comprehend it. A bang, and blood splattered all over him, then another bang, and more blood. He gasped and backed away, looking at the sight in front of them._

_Furlan and Izzy laid there where they were, but bullet wounds in each of their heads. Blood everywhere, their eyes were still opened and smiles lingered on their face._

_Levi looked around for the source of the shooter, tears brimming in his eyes that began to fall. He saw no one and panicked, grabbing at his hair._

_"no, no.. no no no.. no-"_

"No.. no.. no.."

Eren was woken up by the sound of Levi's voice. They were both on the couch, Levi cuddled into Eren side while they slept. He doesn't know when they fell asleep or how they got comfortable on the couch, or how Levi enjoyed the hospital coffee. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, Furlan was asleep on the plastic chair by Isabels bed and he yawned. Eren looked down at Levi, who's lips were down in a frown and his hand gripping his shirt while he slept, a distressed look on his face. 

"No.." 

He frowned and rubbed Levi's arm, it was probably another nightmare. Levi tends to get these a lot, not that Eren minded. The nightmares only happened when the raven was stressed, and all Eren could do was help him through it in the best way he could. Eren whispered, "Hey Vi.. wake up baby, you're having a nightmare.."

It was quiet, besides the heart monitor beeping in the back ground. Levi groaned softly, turning more into Erens body, trying to get closer. He wasn't awake, but subconsciously asking for more comfort. Eren chuckled softly, wrapping his arms tighter around Levi and resting his cheek against Levi's head. "I got you, Vi."

The raven made another noise, a more coherent one this time. He had opened his eyes ever so slowly, taking in his surroundings. He was in a hospital room, wrapped in Erens arms on the couch. Furlan and Isabel were asleep, and alive. Not dead. 

He breathed out a sigh of relief, pressing his face into Erens neck, holding onto him tightly. It was all a nightmare, all fake.

All Eren did was hold him like he wanted, not asking any questions. He cared for Levi so much, to see him having nightmares like this was heart breaking. He's glad this one wasn't bad, Levi didn't wake up short of breath, just needing to take a second and grip where he was at. He felt Levi sigh against his neck and he rubbed Levi's back, "I'm right here, I got cha."

Levi just nodded, pulling away from Erens neck and looking up at him. "what time is it?"

Eren grabbed his phone and checked the time, "eleven, we've only been asleep for an hour. I fell asleep after you did, Furlan was out like a light."

"Right" Levi sighed, he got off the couch and stretched his arms, cracking his back in the process. "I'm going to go get some fresh air, do you want to come with?"

"Sure" Eren got up too, copying Levi. "I brought my phone charger with me and left it in the car, I needa grab that anyways, I forgot to text my mom when we landed."

Levi grabbed Erens hand and led him out of the hospital room, walking calmly down the halls as apposed to earlier when they were both running when they arrived. It was quiet, only quiet shuffling and mumbles heard from doctors and patients. Eren clung to Levi as they walked through the silent halls, fingers intertwined with his lovers. 

Eren still did not know what to think about this situation, all he could do was listen to Levi and trust that Levi wouldn't go bat shit crazy. Eren's never had someone so close to him get hurt before, he's never gone through what Levi has gone through. This situation was entirely out of Erens league, but he would be with Levi till the very end. 

When Furlan explained to them that it might be a rival gang, Eren immediately knew that this wasn't over. He knew that Levi would go and fight for his friends. He never got the chance to sit down with Levi and talk yet, and he decided he would wait on that. He would wait until Levi came to him, but for now he would watch over Levi's brooding self.

Leaving the hospital was a nice and relieving feeling, the fresh air felt so nice after being out in the hot sun all day. Both boys sighed, breathing in the fresh air, tired of breathing in hospital air. It didn't smell good in the hospital either, which was no surprise considering it was in fact a hospital. 

The grip tightened on Erens hand and he looked down to Levi. The raven was staring straight ahead, a calm look on his face. If Eren didn't know Levi's friend was in the hospital with a 50/50 chance of living, he would assume Levi was perfectly fine and he was just tired. 

But he knew, he knew Levi was distressed and simply chose not to show it. That's just how his lover was. The only emotions Levi ever showed in public was this one, stone face with strong eyes. In private though, Eren got to witness the small gentle touches and the soft look on his face, with the occasional smile. 

Eren knew those smiles were reserved for him, all those touches were reserved for him. 

He's so proud at how far Levi has come, from being a thug to a top student at his school. From seeing the videos, Levi was a violent kid. He wasn't with Eren, Hanji had explained to Eren at one point that Levi felt the need to protect Eren because of what he has been through, which is why Levi almost killed Erens old school bullies five months ago.

The only way for Eren and Levi's relationship was upwards, and they planned to keep it that way. Eren looked up to the stars, sending a silent prayer to whatever God may exist that everything would be okay for him and Levi, and that Isabel would get better. He didn't know Isabel and Furlan, but if Levi cared about them so much to risk seeing Jean again, then he cared for them too. 

God, he hoped his mom never found out about all this shit. 

The dangling sound of keys brought Eren out of his trance and he looked down, seeing that the raven had his car keys out. "Come on, let's go get your phone charger" Levi's deep and sleepy voice mumbled, his hand never leaving Erens as he lead his boyfriend to the car. 

Eren followed, smiling a pitiful smile. They both needed sleep, and as soon as they would go home they would be knocked out. He couldn't wait to go home and cuddle with Levi, and have some nice warm breakfast in the morning. Maybe he could cook some up some eggs and bacon. 

Wow, he was really hungry if he was thinking about tomorrows breakfast. 

Levi unlocked the car and leaned against the hood while Eren went around to the passenger side, opening the door and then the glove box. He searched around and grabbed his black phone charger, along with the box. As he rummaged through the glove box he saw a pack of swishers (also known as cigars) and a lighter. Now, Eren didn't smoke, but he knew this was a stress reliever. 

He looked up at Levi, who had his arms crossed as he sat on the hood of his car, looking up at the sky. He wondered if Levi was sending out a silent prayer too like he did. Eren frowned and grabbed the pack of swishers, taking one out and grabbing the lighter. Then he stood back up, shutting the door to the car and jumping when Levi locked it again.

Rounding the car, Eren sat down next to Levi on the hood and offered him the cigar. He wanted Levi to ease the stress somehow, and only one of these wouldn't hurt him. The raven accepted the offer, taking the cigar and putting it to his lips, looking up at Eren with a pointed look. 

Eren just grinned, flicking the lighter and the bright yellow flame appeared. He watched as Levi covered the cigar in his mouth with his hand, leaning down and using the flame to light it. Once it was lit, Levi had pulled away, inhaling the nicotine and then taking it out, blowing the smoke into the air away from Erens face. "Thank you."

"You're really brave for coming back here" Was Erens reply, setting the lighter down next to him.

Levi didn't do praise, not with Jean or Erwin, but with Eren it was different. He looked down at the cigar in his hands, "I'm just doing what I can."

"So.. what are you gonna do?" Eren asked, Levi had to hold himself back from correcting the boys grammar. "With this whole thing, are you really going to find out who shot Isabel?"

It didn't take much thought on Levi's part. "Yes." was all he said. 

"How? You could call the cops.."

"Cops don't really do shit down here" Levi mumbled, taking another hit of his swisher and exhaling. "At least not when I was here. I had my fair share of running, but it was never any big deal. The cops don't care about this side of town, spending time on the north side because it's easier."

Eren frowned at that, no wonder why it was so shitty on this side of town. People didn't have limits. "But you obviously have some sort of idea considering you're not freaking out, I know I would be."

Levi gave him a sly look, "That's because this was my home for years at one point. I know this place like the back of my hand. All I need to know is where they were attacked, and it could be Reiner who did it, we don't have proof but I have a feeling, and I'm never wrong about this type of stuff. I know how gangs work, I know who uses what weapon. I know because I did it too."

It was easier said than done, and Eren had so many questions.

"I have Erwin" Levi said, "Maybe I'll give him a call and have him convince the cops to do an investigation down here, I'm sure that if authorities came, they would come tomorrow or the next day because this is not a priority case to them."

Eren wrapped his arm around Levi's waist. "I just don't want you to get hurt.. or too involved. This could really mess up the progress you've made Levi."

"If it busts Jean and Reiners asses, I'll do whatever it takes."

"But you might get caught too with what you've done."

Levi sighed and rubbed his face, he knew that. God, he knew that. That's why he didn't go to the police in the first place. "I know. But we destroyed it, so there is no proof I did anything besides witnesses. But.. no one would rat me out, not here. Snitches get killed, inside or outside of jail."

Eren felt nervous about all of this, "Is it weird to be freaked out by all of this?"

"No" Levi looked at him, eyes gentle and loving. "You don't have to be scared, I'll look out for you, you know that. Leave all this shit to me, it's summer vacation and you're in California, enjoy it."

"I'll enjoy it with you when this shit is taken care of."

That ended the conversation, not that they cared. Once Levi finished smoking the cigar he dropped it to the ground, stepping on it to put it out and putting the lighter in his pocket. He stepped off the hood of his car, watching as Eren did the same. The taller boy wrapped his arm around Levi's shoulders as they walked back to the hospital doors. 

However, they both heard a twig crack in the distance. Before Eren could blink, Levi's sharpened instincts had the raven pulling at the knife at his belt. Eren stayed behind Levi, looking around as well. It was dark outside, as it was almost midnight now. The only light was the few street lights in the parking lot. 

"Who's there?" Levi glared, eyes sharp and ready to fight. 

Eren had seen this side of Levi before, the protective side, the tense side that was ready to fight. Now that Eren knew what Levi was capable of, he felt bad for whoever crossed his or Levi's path. 

Another twig snapped and it put both of the boys on edge, Levi did not move from his stance in front of Eren. 

Levi grew frustrated, "If you don't come out right now I'll throw this knife, I've been needing some target practice."

It was quiet for a few more moments before someone emerged from the darkness, someone tall. The figure was a male, easily Erens height and built. He was still in the shadows, walking closer to both Eren and Levi on the side walk. Levi did not move, whoever this was knew him, nobody down here had the balls to sneak up on him. 

The person walked further towards them, eventually he was right under the side walk lamp post and Levi's breath hitched. 

He stood there, tall and muscular just like the last time Levi saw him. He had grown his hair out now, it went down to his shoulders. Eyes as sharpened as ever as well as his jaw, new tattoos littered his body. The clothes he wore looked new, spotless even. Scruff covered his upper lip and chin. His lips were curved down into a frown, a frown that Levi knew so well.

"No.." Levi whispered to himself, nausea building up in his stomach. It couldn't be, it couldn't be him. 

Of course it was.

Eren noticed the change in Levi quickly, standing next to his boyfriend protectively. Whoever this was, Eren could still barely see his face, he upset Levi and therefore, Eren did not like him. "Who the fuck are you?" Eren finally voiced. 

"You don't know me, but Rivaille here does." The man said, a smirk forming on his face. He stepped into the light, pushing his hair out of his face. "Nice to see you again, my little raven."

Levi's blood ran cold as he drew the knife from his belt, aiming it at him. "Sorry to say I can't return the favor, Jean"

Eren froze, this was Jean? This guy is huge, and he looks different from the pictures but also the same. That's right, the same eyes, the same hair color, but he now had scruff and was more muscular. He put his hand on Levi's shoulder, nerves flowing through him. Oh God, one wrong move.. it could be over. This man was evil, this man hurt Levi, raped him, made him kill.

He looked down at Levi, eyes widening at the look on the ravens face. He showed no fear, only a hard scary look on his face that could kill. If looks could kill, Jean would be dead on the spot. His hand gripped the knife and his lips were curled up into a snark, one foot was set in front of the other. His stance was defensive, ready to defend himself or Eren. Levi knew the consequences of coming down south, he should have known this would happen. 

Fuck, he was so stupid. Now Eren was in danger and all Levi had with him was two knives, and Eren had nothing. He felt a sense of protection course through him, no matter what, he would make sure that Eren was safe. 

"Ah, why the dirty look?" Jean chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets, which made Levi tense. "I won't shoot you, raven. Don't worry."

"I know you won't kill me for coming back here" Levi glared, knife still drawn. "You don't it in you, not after all we have been through."

Jean cocked his head to the side, Levi was smarter than he thought. "You're right, but I'm not here to shoot you."

"Then _why_ are you here?" Levi's body wanted to shake from how nervous he was, but he would never show that in front of Jean. He learned to not show fear in front of this man a long time ago, it got him no where. 

"Who's behind you?" Jean asked, eyes aimed at Eren, looking him over. "New boyfriend, I assume?"

Levi growled, "What's it to you? He has nothing to do with this you asshole, leave him out of it." He took a drastic step forward, knife still aimed. "Why the _fuck_ are you here?"

Jean glared, "You've really learn to speak out of terms, haven't you? I thought I taught you to respect your elders, do I need to teach you another lesson?"

Eren watched the interaction between them. Jean seemed cocky but also angry, beyond pissed. His shoulders were broad and he looked huge, if they fought Eren isn't sure he would win even though he was just as muscular looking. Jean had all the fighting experience. He looked down at Levi, who looked so tensed. If Eren didn't know any better, Levi was scared. He frowned and took a step forward, putting a hand on Levi's shoulder and glaring at the man who has caused Levi so much pain. "I do believe he asked you a question, answer it." he demanded.

A shiver ran down Levi's spine at the way Eren sounded, God, his man could sound like a monster when he wanted too.

Jean chuckled, taking a step forward towards them, a two meter distance between them. "I'm not here to start shit, and I won't kill you. Why don't you put the knife away- oh.. is that my knife I gave to you? You kept it?"

Levi grew uncomfortable, "answer the question."

"I was the one who called the paramedics when Isabel was shot" Jean started out, he eyed Levi. His ex boyfriend looked so different now, he was still short, but he looked softer. It made Jean angry, all that work he did to shape Levi up and the boy runs off to the north side and gets soft? He wanted to scoff, and now he has some bitch boy by his side. Jean was still so angry that Levi left, he would deal with personal issues later. He needed Levi's brains for his proposal. 

"Why would you call them?" Eren asked, from what he understood, Jean would want Isabel and Furlan dead, at least thats what Furlan and Levi explained to him. 

"Ah, so bitch boy here has some brains" Jean gave Levi a pointed look, "I assume he knows you're a murderer?"

"And that you are too" Levi said, cautious of Jeans movements. Jean only gave him that look while they were training, but also when he had an idea. Levi knew he wasn't going to like whatever Jean was going to say next.

Jean hummed. "The shooting was a drive by Rivaille, license plate was removed from the car. Windows tinted too, police didn't examine the entire scene because Furlan was going nuts."

Levi stayed silent, waiting for what Jean had to say next. 

"I know you want to know who did this as much as I do" Jean said, "This was your home for years, you know this area as good as I do. We ran these streets Levi, and I need your brains to help me figure this shit out."

"You.. what?" Levi put the knife down, shocked. What exactly was Jean asking? 

"I need to know who shot at Isabel." Jean declared, "And I can't do what without you."

Levi didn't know what to say to that, it could be a trap to get him to go with Jean and then get him and Eren killed. He looked back at his ex, sensing no danger from him. Jean didn't look like he would attack the two of them, Levi looked closely. If anything, Jean looked just as upset about the situation as he was. He was flabbergasted, did Isabel and Jean have a connection?

After putting his knife in his belt loop, Levi questioned him. "What do you want me to do?" he asked.

Eren's eyes widened, "Levi, you can't be serious."

Levi looked up at Eren, "Just listen to what he has to say."

"But he-" Levi gave him that same pointed look Jean gave Levi, and Eren finally saw how the two of them were alike. Their mannerisms and the facial expressions were the same, Levi was a carbon copy of Jean and it made Eren uncomfortable. He sighed, "Okay."

The raven turned to look back at Jean, who was standing in the same spot as before. "Explain, now."

Jean was furious that Levi was speaking to him like that, he never spoke to him like that. Back when him and Levi were together, Levi treated him with nothing but respect because Jean beat him into submission every time. Whoever this man was behind him was, he had to be dealt with. He wanted Levi back, needed him back to help his gang resurface. Jean would do anything, because whether he liked it or not, Levi was his main source of income for years. 

"Come with me to where Izzy was shot and help me identify the bullets" He explained, "You were the only one with Reiner first hand, and I bet you it was him. You've been in his home and you know what weapons he uses, I know you remember, you're not stupid."

Levi stood up straighter, "that's not what you said years ago." he commented. "What would you do if I said no?"

Jean shrugged, "take the risk, send Rico or Eld, maybe Gunter in to sneak into Reiners home and hope they get back out in time. No one was as fast as you Rivaille, no one else would jump onto a car to get the fuck out of there like you would. I need you."

Levi wanted to laugh, " _You_ need _me_? Oh how the tables have fucking turned" he leaned against Erens side, he was so fucking tired. This was the last thing he needed. "Last time you said you needed me, I was almost fucking killed. Why the fuck should I trust you?"

Eren looked down at Levi, wrapping an arm around his waist. He was worried, the raven was exhausted and maybe he was finally losing it. 

"Rivaille-"

"No" Levi got out of Erens arms, taking another step towards Jean, pointing a finger at him. "You made my life a fucking living hell, you god damn idiot." a sinister smile spread on his face, the thought of killing Jean right here right now crossed his mind. "You raped me, you made me kill innocent people, you beat the fuck out of me and got me addicted to drugs. Why the hell should I trust you now, huh? Fucking tell me, you asshole. You stole my innocence, I was fifteen years old." Tears brimmed in his eyes but he held them back, they would not solve anything.

Jean stood his ground, making no movement. Fighting Levi now would not do him any good, he needed to make Levi trust him. "I'm not asking you to trust me, I'm asking you to help identify who the shooter was because believe it or not, I care about Isabel. I could do without Furlan, but she is innocent and we've known each other for years. All you need to do is identify the weapon, and I will send my men after Reiner. You will not be in the line of fire."

"I don't trust you" Levi growled, but he knew what he needed to do. Jean was right, Levi was the one who studied weapons before he left. He knew every weapon other gangs used in the south side, someone had taught him years ago but was eventually killed in a shoot out. Levi was the only one who cried for her. Her name was Tara. 

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But.. fuck, I know I need to be there. You don't have anyone else." His body was crashing from exhaustion. 

"You still have a burner phone?" Jean asked, he could tell Levi was conflicted. All he needed to do was earn Levi's trust again. 

Levi raised an eyebrow, "I changed it after I left, you won't get my number or his" he nodded towards Eren, "Give me a time and where it was, and we will meet you there. Alone."

Jean nodded, that was the best he was going to get. "The corner of fifth and third, across from the 20 past 4. You look like you need some sleep Rivaille, so how about noon?"

"Okay, I'll meet you there at noon"

"Bitch boy isn't coming?" Jean looked back at Eren, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of boyfriend are ya, leaving him all alone with someone like me?"

Eren glared at him, "I'm coming too, but if you cross any line with Levi then I will have your throat. Do you understand me, you piece of shit? Touch Levi and you're dead."

For someone who looked like a puppy, Eren could easily sound murderous if he wanted too. Levi didn't know Eren could make threats like that, let alone get angry. 

"Hm" Jean inwardly cursed, whoever this man was knew of him and what he's done. He also is attached to Levi, getting them separated would be a hassle. He bit his tongue. "Good, nice to see you found someone for yourself raven."

"Like you care" Levi sneered, if he was in a cartoon steam would be coming from his ears. 

"I do, believe it or not" Jean spoke, "hey bitch boy, what's your name? If we're gonna be together tomorrow, then maybe I should know your name?"

He stepped forward, in front of Levi this time when he saw Levis eyes begin to twitch. Yeah, he was tired. "My name is Eren."

Jean cocked his head to the side, "Levi never mentioned an Eren before"

"He met me in college" Eren said proudly, "at the top of his class right now, you should be proud of him."

"I am" Jean smirked.

"Bullshit!" Levi called out, trying to take a step forward but Eren grabbed him, holding him back. "You never cared! You were never proud! The only time you were proud of me is when I killed those people, slept with those men for you, or was your little bitch in bed" He was heaving, "You never cared about me!"

"I do"

"You don't!" Levi wanted to cry, why doesn't Jean understand? "If it wasn't for you then I would be okay, I wouldn't be so fucked up. I was only fifteen you asshole, I could have you charged."

Jean growled, "don't think I can't have you charged too. You killed people Levi, you're just as bad as me."

"I.. I'm not..."

"You are" Jean looked down at him, just like he used too. 

"No!"

"Alright, alright" Eren butted in, holding Levi back and glaring at Jean. He still felt uneasy, but his main priority was taking care of Levi. "You need to go" he directed at Jean, "We will see you tomorrow, leave here now before Levi let's loose."

Jean looked at the both of them, Levi's nose was flaring and his eyes were wide. The gaze on his face was threatening, and if Jean didn't know Levi he would be threatened. He had Levi backed into a corner though, without him, Levi wouldn't be able to access the site tomorrow. He looked at Eren, who concentrated on holding Levi back from attacking him, but also had a wary gaze towards him. He took a step back, choosing to say nothing. "See you tomorrow, nice to meet you, Eren." Was all he said, and he turned around, walking back into the shadows. 

Once Jean left and there was distance put between them, Eren looked down at the struggling man in his arms. Levi clung to him, eyes twitching and lip curling. His heart shattered at the broken look on his boyfriends face, Levi was heaving and tears brimmed in his eyes, his forehead creased in anger. Levi's legs began to shake and that's when Eren tightened his hold on him. "Vi" he whispered softly in his lovers ear, "Levi."

He shoved his way out of Erens arms, breaking free and backing up a couple steps. Fuck, he was angry. So fucking angry. He did not want this to happen, his life was going so good for this to happen. 

Eren watched him cautiously, "Levi, let's go back inside, or maybe to your car. We should head back home, get you bathed and go to sleep, alright?"

Truth is, Eren had no idea how to approach this situation. He's never dealt with something like this before. 

Levi grabbed at his hair, a sign of a nearing panic attack that Eren had to put out fast. " _Eren_ "

"I'm here" Eren said gently, he walked up to Levi and gently took Levi's hands out of his hair, holding them with his own. "I'm right here, you're safe with me, do you understand?"

The raven took a step forward and leaned against Erens front, burying his face into Erens neck, taking a couple shuddering breaths. 

He just confronted his ex boyfriend, the man who ruined his life in more ways than one. He didn't know how he hasn't thrown up yet, but God he wanted too. Levi felt disgusting. 

"How about we go home" Eren whispered, "You need rest, and so do I."

Levi nodded against Erens neck, swallowing a sob that was nearing. He didn't want to think, he didn't want to do anything.

Eren must have picked up on that because he leaned down, tapping at the ravens thighs. "Jump for me hun" he said, like he has many times before. 

The smaller man jumped, trusting Eren to hold him steady, and he did. He wrapped his arms around Erens neck, tucking his face into his arm and closing his eyes, trying not to think about what had just happened. 

Eren just held him close, walking back to Levi's car. On the way he grabbed the keys from Levi's back pocket without losing grip. Levi was silent, and it made Eren silent as well. They both didn't say anything, still in shock from seeing the most dangerous man that they knew. He rounded the car, unlocking it and opening the passenger side door and setting Levi down in the seat. Levi silently sat down, buckling his seat belt. Eren smiled softly and shut the door, walking around to the drivers side and getting inside. 

With another glance at Levi, frowning when he saw Levi pulled his knees to his chest, he started the car. He put his hand behind Levi's seat, watching as he backed out of the parking spot. Once he was done with that, Eren turned back around and drove out of the hospital parking lot and to Levi's home, occasionally asking for directions since he barely knew the area. 

It was a half an hour drive back to Kenny's house, when Eren pulled into the driveway they did not see Kenny's truck. Maybe it was rude, but Eren had breathed out a sigh of relief. Finally, they would have some alone time. 

And to be fair, right now, they needed it. 

Both of them exited the car and Eren was right at Levi's side, wrapping his arm around Levi's waist and walking to the front door. Levi had remembered the new code and typed it in, opening the door and stepping inside silently. 

Eren followed him inside, closing the door behind him and took his shoes off and set them next to Levi's. The raven grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers and walking up the stairs. Eren led Levi lead him, not saying a word. Right now was a delicate time, he could only imagine where Levi's mind was. 

He felt numb, the anger had mellowed down. Levi felt so drained, he felt dirty, he needed a shower. When they arrived to Levi's room, the shorter male went to his closet, grabbing his black road and looking at Eren, a silent question in his eyes when he looked in between Eren and his robe. 

"I'll shower with you" Eren offered, he went to his packing bag and unzipped it, grabbing out his own robe he bought himself while being in North Dakota. They bought their robes on the same day at the mall when there was a big sale, that was a fun day. 

Levi just nodded, and Eren followed his lover to the bathroom.

He brought his phone in with him, setting it on the counter and pressing play on a playlist Levi seemed to like back at Maria. Levi recognized it immediately, but didn't comment on it. He wasn't one to express what he likes. 

"I'll start the shower" Eren said, it was quiet without Levi's snarky comments but he understood why Levi was so quiet. He was probably still in shock, and Eren would not blame him if he was. He set his robe down and took his shirt off, tossing it to the floor and squatting down. He moved the shower curtain and turned the knob for the hot water, adjusting the temperature. 

Levi stripped behind him, turning on the fan and turning the volume up louder on the phone. He was fully naked now, waiting patiently for Eren to find the right water temperature. 

Eren finally stood up and turned around, "shower is ready, go ahead and step inside. I still gotta strip."

Without a word from the raven, Levi stepped in. It was warm, just the way him and Eren liked it whenever they showered together back at the dorms. It made him sleepy, he's surprised he didn't fall asleep right then and there. Levi sighed as the water hit his skin, just taking it all in, trying to relax.

The younger stepped in after he was naked, right behind Levi. Levi was small, so Eren had a pretty good angel at the water. He got his hair wet and slicked his hair back so it got out of his eyes. He pressed a small kiss to Levi's head, smiling softly a when he saw Levi so relaxed.

He reached down, grabbing the bottle of strawberry shampoo and opening it, squirting some into his hand. "Close your eyes, I'm washing your hair."

Levi didn't question it, for some reason Eren liked to wash his hair and he never complained. He just closed his eyes, humming softly at the feeling of Erens hands carding through his hair, rubbing the soap in. 

Eren just worked his magic with his hands, rubbing the shampoo into Levi's hair and humming softly to the song playing on his phone. 

It was peaceful, washing the shampoo and conditioner into Levi's hair while the smaller man washed himself with the body wash he oh so loved. Eren was next, washing his own hair while Levi stepped out and dried himself. He wrapped himself up in his robe, sighing in content while he saw on the counter. 

The bathroom was steamy and hot, and it made Levi's eyes droop to the point where he started leaning against the wall and falling asleep. Eren had finished washing himself, he stepped out of the shower and dried himself off with the extra towel hanging up. Once he finished he wrapped himself up in the robe, drying off his hair and turning to Levi, cooing at the sight.

He sat upon the counter, small hands in his lap as he leaned against the wall. His head drooped and his eyes were shut, feet dangling about a foot and a half from the floor. His hair was messy too, his shoulders were sagged as well. He wasn't sure if Levi was asleep or not, he looked like he was sleeping though. 

Eren stopped the music on his phone and went to his lover, wrapping his arms around the sleeping male and hoisting him up into his arms. Levi's head fell onto his shoulder with ease, his eyes still shut and Eren knew he was asleep. He chuckled softly, opening the door to the bathroom and stepping out, carrying Levi into his room.

Once he was in Levi's room he shut the door behind them quietly, gently laying Levi down onto his bed. Levi laid on his back, head tilted to the side and mouth slightly open, small snores coming from him. Eren turned and went to his packing bag, taking out his pajamas and boxers and changing into them. He went to Levi's dresser and grabbed a pair of boxers, along with one of Erens shirts and he walked to the bed. 

He tried to be gentle, unwrapping the road from Levi's body and tossing it to the floor. He then slowly put Levi's boxers on, cringing when Levi made a noise. He paused his actions for a second, sighing in relief when Levi turned his head, still asleep. Eren pulled on the boxers and grabbed the shirt next. 

It was a struggle, but Eren got Levis shirt on without waking him up. He then laid down on the bed on his back, chuckling when Levi scooted closer and subconsciously cuddled against his side. Eren wrapped an arm around Levi, pulling the covers up to the ravens shoulders. He kissed the top of Levi's head.

"I'll protect you this time around Vi" he promised, more to himself than Levi. 

And with that, he fell asleep hoping tomorrow would go a little smother. 

He knew, though, that he would not. 


	28. Like The Back Of His Hand

Eren awoke first the next morning. The sun was shining bright into the room and birds were chirping, if Eren didn't know any better, he would say today was a beautiful day. 

Sadly, it wouldn't be. They had to meet Jean today because for some reason, Jean was no capable of identifying the weapons by himself. Eren thought it was ridiculous, and he thought it was crazy that Levi even agreed, but whatever choice the raven made, he would be right by his side supporting him. 

Speaking of his lover, Eren rolled over in bed to face him. They had de-tangled during the night because Eren had a crazy weird hot flash, so they slept on each side of the bed. 

He lay there, sleeping peacefully. He was still in Erens shirt and a pair of boxers he was dressed in yesterday night by Eren himself, and his hair was a mess. Levi always did have horrible bed heads in the morning. The bags remained under his eyes, but his face looked peaceful. He was laying on his stomach, arms underneath his pillow and face resting on top of it. He had one leg straight and the other leg bent up, the blanket pulled up to his mid back, showing the curve of his lover back. 

Eren smiled and reached his hand out, tracing the older mans jaw and just admiring him.

It was crazy to think that the man in front of him was so different than the videos Eren watched. It was even crazier to see how much Levi cared for his two friends in the hospital. He cared about them so much that he was risking his life to figure out who shot them, to bring them to justice. He felt sort of proud of Levi for doing it, but another half of him wanted to tell him that he was stupid.

Eren did not have the connection with Furlan and Isabel like Levi had, so he had a different stand point on the situation. He thought that Levi should just let it be, have Jean send his men to Reiners home and take care of the situation. 

He knew he couldn't talk any sense into Levi though, he would have to keep his mouth shut and voice his opinions to himself only. They would get no where if Eren decided to start shit up with Levi. With how it went down last night, Eren had no right to say anything.

Seeing Jean was a surprise to Eren, he didn't expect to see the evil man. He didn't fail to notice Levi's reaction though, how the raven was quick to stand in front of him. Levi had acted quick, standing in between Eren and the man who violated him on every term possible. It was things like that.. that made Eren have so much more love for the man.

Because even though Levi was scared shitless of Jean, he drew his weapon without fear and stood in front of Eren, preparing to risk his life to keep Eren safe.

It left butterflies in Erens stomach, no one would put their life on the line like that for him besides his parents or Mikasa. Levi was a brave person, more brave than he will ever be. 

Eren's fingers traced Levi's sharp jaw and he cooed when Levi's nose twitched, bringing an arm up to shove Erens hand away and nuzzle his face back into the pillow. "Fuck, you're cute" He whispered to himself, bringing his hand back to his side of the bed. He rolled over and grabbed his phone on the nightstand, checking the time. 

8:00 am. 

They had to meet Jean at the spot at around noon, and that gave Eren enough time to make breakfast and for Levi to sleep in a little. After their shower last night, Levi was out like a light and Eren felt bad for him. All he wanted to do was help the raven.

He sat up and swung his legs over the bed quietly, getting up and walking to his suit case. He unzipped it and grabbed some sweatpants to put on, and after he did he went down stairs. When he arrived to the bottom of the stairs, the front door opened. And with the latest events it scared the shit out of Eren, making him trip and fall back on the bottom stair. 

"Ow fuck" 

Kenny had stepped inside, looking down at Eren like he was a maniac. "What the hell are you doin', kid?"

Erens head snapped up, using the stair railing to stand up. He rubbed his back side, a slight throbbing pain down there. "Uh.. nothing.. you just scared me"

The older man kicked his shoes off and rubbed his eyes, "I'm hitting the hay, I worked over time and I'm fucking tired. You two better keep the volume down or I will beat both of you" he grumbled and walked up the stairs, shutting his bedroom door. 

Now, Eren knew the man was kidding, he wouldn't lay a hand on anyone, but it didn't stop him from nervously nodding his head. Once Kenny was out of his view, he marched his way into the kitchen. He opened the cabinets and grabbed some pancake mix, alone with some eggs and fruit, and a pan. Eren then began to make food, letting his mind run free.

He wondered how his family was doing, he checked in with his mom after Levi fell asleep last night so he knows she knew he was here safe. She also didn't know that Eren was meeting up with a murderer, and she also didn't know her sons boyfriend used to be in a gang. His whole family was left in the dark.

Not that Eren minded anyway. 

If his mom found out about any of this she would not hesitate to have Levi arrested for putting Eren in this position, she was always so protective of him even after he turned eighteen. It was not a bad thing, but Eren was so freaked about her reaction to any of this. 

Maybe it was selfish for his way of thinking, but he also knew it was logical. It was no Levi's fault whatsoever with everything he has done, the boy had been brain washed at such a young age. But Erens mom did not know that, and if Mikasa got word of this.. after just beginning to trust Levi, she would have his head.

Eren shook himself out of his thoughts and after another twenty minutes he loaded two plates, each of two medium sized pancakes and a small bowl of fruit on the side. He grabbed both plates and two water bottles from the fridge, turning and making his way up the stairs. He arrived to Levi's room and walked inside, not surprised that Levi had not moved from his spot on the bed. 

He sat the two plates and water bottles down on the bed, setting the bottle of syrup next to them. He then crawled over to Levi, lowering himself to press kissing alone the ravens forehead, then temple. "Baby, it's morning. It's time to wake up... ad I know you can smell the pancakes I made for you, they're chocolate chip"

Levi had moved, tucking his face into his arm and groaning. "M'tired, 'ren"

Eren chuckled and kissed his head again, knowing it would piss Levi off sooner or later. "I made you food though, and I never make food."

"That's true." Levi rolled over and yawned, stretching his arms and using his arms to push himself up into a sitting position. He rubbed his eyes and felt something warm on his lap, looking down to see Eren had set a plate there. He smiled softly at the meal, "Thanks."

"You're welcome" Eren grabbed the remote to the TV, turning it on and logging into Netflix. After selecting a show he set the remote down and began to eat. 

The two of them ate in silence, with Eren silently celebrating in his head. Levi was silent the entire night, he must be feeling better if he was speaking this morning. He smiled to himself, digging into the pancakes. 

He looked towards Levi, who has said nothing other than thanking Eren for the pancakes. He still looked tired, but more well rested than yesterday. Eren had never seen Levi like that before, when he started laughing with tears brimming his eyes, it scared Eren a little bit. Levi has not reached a breaking point, which he was grateful for. Levi was strong, strong enough to take care of the both of them. 

But Eren was strong too, he may be there to back up Levi's decisions, but he will not hesitate to attack anyone who got in Levi's way. Eren was not a violent person, but if need be, then so be it. 

Levi played with his food mostly, but he ended up eating all of it. It took him a couple minutes, but then a sense of dread filled him at the memory of last night. 

Last night he came into contact with the man that had ruined his life, but he did not back down once. Sure, Jean didn't have any weapons or anything, but Levi didn't hesitate to draw his own and aim. It seemed like the south side part of him never left if he still did shit like that, and he was disappointed in himself.

He finished his meal and stared into the sheets, not watching the show. He had to meet Jean today to identify stuff that Jean should know how to do, but still did not because he relied on Levi for so long to do his dirty work. 

It felt weird knowing that Jean actually needed him, if he was being honest. For so long it was him needing Jean for everything. For fixes, deals, paying for Kenny's rehab, everything. Having the tables turned made him want to laugh, but also vomit. 

He would have to pocket his feeling though, he needs to catch the person who did this to Isabel and Furlan if it was the last thing he would ever do. 

Levi felt Eren staring at him and he looked over, "what?" 

"You okay?" Eren had asked, he was finished with his food and now they were both just watching TV.

"I'm doing as good as I can." Levi answered honestly, he knew Eren would not be happy if he lied about his feelings now. "All I have to do is one thing today, I have one job and it's something I'm good at. It should not take us long."

"We should ask Furlan to come with us" Eren pointed out. 

Levi raised a brow, "why the hell would we do that?"

Eren turned to face Levi, "think about it, last night Jean said that he had no intentions of hurting you or them. Not that I trust the guy, but I also don't trust Jean and you don't trust Jean either. Having an extra person down there would help in case Jean pulls some shit."

The raven thought about that for a second before agreeing. "You're smarter than I thought"

"I've just seen a lot of movies" Eren shrugged.

"Of course you have" The older just rolled his eyes, "Come on, let's get ready."

-

After changing into some new clothes and brushing their teeth, Eren and Levi loaded up into Levi's car and made their way towards the south side hospital. When they arrived they didn't bother checking in at the front desk, simply heading to the stairs and jogging up to the second floor where Levi's friends were located. The halls were quiet just like last night, but now they were brighter since the sun was shining through the windows. 

Levi went into Isabels room first, seeing Furlan reading a magazine while he sat on the plastic chair. "I need to talk to you" was what he started out with, Levi did not do small talk. 

Furlan looked up to see Levi and Eren standing there, both looked well rested enough. He frowned, sensing Levi's bad attitude. "What?"

"You need to come with us today" Levi crossed his arms over his chest, it reminded Furlan of how Levi used to act when he barked orders to the other gang members. "We have to go to the place where Isabel was shot at, identifying the bullets and then Eren and I will be out of your hair."

"What?" Furlan raised an eyebrow, "Levi, it was a drive by. I doubt there are any left over bullets, and the police might have it squared off. Where would you get an idea like that anyway? This is the south side, you idiot. Nobody gets justice around here."

Eren sat down on one of the plastic chairs across from Isabels bed, deciding to let Levi handle the conversation with his friend.

"I ran into Jean last night" Levi said in a monotone voice, blank faced. 

Furlans eyes widened, "Fuck.. are you okay?" concern for his friend overwhelmed him, he knew everything Jean did to the smaller man and it made him angry.

"I'm fine" Levi shrugged it off, he didn't have time to talk about his feelings, he had shit to do. He was very good at compartmentalizing. "What needs to happen though, is for you to come with us. We're meeting Jean where Izzy was shot, and because I know my shit and nobody else learned, I have to be the one who figures out who shot Izzy. You will simply be there as my back up, as will Eren. If Jean does anything sketchy, you let me know and I'll take care of him." Levi gave him a pointed look. 

Furlan didn't know what to think, of course he cared for Levi but.. he did not want to see Jean after he ran out on him. "What if Jean shoots me for leaving? You know the rules Levi.."

Levi nodded his head, "I do know the rules. I helped make them" he growled at his best friend. "But last night he didn't even shoot me, and you know others would be shot on the spot if they showed their face on a gang leaders territory. As of today he will not hurt you, because he needs my help. I can't say anything about tomorrow, but today you're protected by me."

Anger coursed through Furlans veins and he glared at Eren, "how the hell could you agree with something like this? You know what Jean has done to Levi, and you agree to go with Levi to see him? Are you a fucking idiot."

He didn't even see Levi march up to him, and he also did not expect his friend to grab his good hand and aiming to break his fingers. One small pull, and two of Furlans fingers would surely be broken. Furlan looked up at Levi, a shocked look on his face. 

Levi was practically fuming, his eyes slimmed into a glare and mouth in a tight frown. His grip on Furlans hand was hard and forceful, it reminded Furlan of the old Levi he knew. Levi would get like this whenever Jean even lifted a finger, he would be on somebody in an instant. _I guess some things never change,_ Furlan thought to himself. 

"Eren is following my lead, as should you. Do not come at him for something he does not have control over, do you understand me?"

If Eren didn't know any better, he wouldn't have guessed that Furlan and Levi were friends. Eren guessed Furlan has handled this many times before, because the man was silent while he was staring into his boyfriends eyes. He just sat back and watched, knowing Levi wouldn't take it too far. 

Furlan only nodded his head, "yeah okay fine, Jeez. Calm down, would ya? I'm the one with the brains between us, I was just making a point."

Levi let go of him. "So you'll come with us?"

He looked towards Isabel, her pale body sleeping soundly on the hospital bed. He sighed to himself and looked up at Levi, "Yeah. Can we stop and get some food first?"

The raven rolled his eyes, "Yes, you dunce. Come on, let's go."

-

Levi drove with Eren in the passengers seat and Furlan in the back. Besides the radio playing, the drive was silent. They did stop to get some food for Furlan first, Levi did not hesitate to take out his wallet and pay for it, shushing Furlan when he said he felt bad. All Levi did was hand the man his food, he even ordered a smoothie for Eren, who's eyes brightened like a childs on Christmas as he accepted the banana smoothie.

He tried not to show how anxious he was during the drive. Yesterday he was unprepared for his and Jeans meeting, acting on pure instinct of just fear. Now his old abuser was depending on him, needing him. It made Levi feel extremely uneasy, and he would cast side glances to Eren or look in the rear view mirror at Furlan. He could not believe he was doing this.

Whatever doubts he had were thrown out the window once he reached the area he knew best. Just one more street down and Jeans house was right there. His nerves built up quickly and he grabbed the steering wheel, unable to stop his knuckles from turning white. 

_I can't wait to fucking go home._

Eren looked over and noticed how tight his lover was gripping the wheel and he took a break from sipping his smoothie to reach over, mindful of Furlans wary eyes, and rest his hand on the ravens thigh. Levi looked over to him and gave him a sly smile that was only reserved for Eren, and then turned his attention back to the road. 

Furlan watched the exchange between the two and he couldn't believe how different Levi acted with this guy compared to how he acted with Jean. With Jean it was always messy, fighting every day and beatings, not to mention the rape and murders. But with Eren, Levi acted like Eren was the only person in the room. Not to mention he defended Eren pretty damn quick back at the hospital room this morning. 

He smiled to himself, happy that Levi had finally found someone. 

When Levi spotted the corner of fifth and third he pulled his car over to the side, parallel parking in between two cars and shutting his car off. "We're here, is this the right place Furlan?"

"Yeah" Furlan answered with a frown, last time he was here Isabel had been shot and now she was fighting for her life. 

Whoever did this is going to pay.. big time. 

All three of them exited Levi's car and Furlan lead the other two towards the corner. Levi stayed close to Erens side, ignoring the slight shaking in his hands as a reaction to being down here. In front of them Furlan walked, over looking the area in front of them. 

Diagonal from the corner was a twenty past four, a place Jean would regularly be found at. The corner of fifth and third was a run down corner, the building being abandoned and everything. It looked rusted, torn down like the other houses around here. There were some people walking on the side walk and Levi had to face the other way just in case someone saw him. Without Jean he was still considered a target. 

Down on the ground was a pile of blood, Furlan recognized it to be Isabels blood from yesterday. He frowned and knelt down, trying to blink away the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. She had to be okay, she had to make it out alive. Isabel was too innocent for this kind of gig, he swore to get her away from Jean and he swore he would do exactly that. 

Levi saw the dried blood on the ground too and almost had to take a double take at it when Furlan knelt down next to it. That was Isabels blood. Furlans girlfriend, Levi's little sister basically. He saw Furlans shoulders begin to shake and he frowned, taking a step and setting his hand on Furlans shoulder. "We'll find who did this." he promised. 

Furlan only nodded his head, Levi never broke his promises. He knew that, the runt was too honest for his own good. 

The mood was comforting for only a hot second before someone turned the corner. It was Jean, and his presence did not go unnoticed by the three men waiting for him. He looked over them, Eren was standing behind Levi and Furlan, arms crossed over his chest and angry. Furlan was squatted down, tears in his eyes and Levi's hand was on his friends shoulder, gaze now cast upon Jean, face emotionless as ever. 

Jean held his head high, "Furlan."

Said man stood back up, towering over Levi in height. He squared his shoulders, preparing for a fight. "Jean."

Both Levi and Eren looked in between the two, and when Levi went to speak, Jean interrupted him. "You did not tell me he would be here, Rivaille."

At the mention of his name Levi frowned, "He wants the same thing you do. If you disagree, then all three of us will leave. And you need me."

"Tu le veux ici pour surveiller ton dos" Jean spoke fluently. (You only want him here to watch your back."

"C'est comme ca que ca va se passer, Jean. A prendre ou a lassier" Levi challenged. (This is how it is going to be, Jean. Take it or leave it.)

The two stared at each other for a long minute, a challenge hidden behind their eyes. The air around them was tense. Furlan and Eren stood behind Levi, ready to back the raven up if need be. Eren sometimes forgot Levi was fluent in french and english, and it kind of made him mad that he had no idea what the two ex's were talking about.

Jean just simply stared at Levi and only Levi, eyes racking down his small figure. He was not used to Levi speaking to him like this, the boy he knew back then would take orders without question and now he was speaking his mind. His eyes drifted to Eren, it had to be this kids fault. Jean had to get rid of him. He just sighed and rolled his eyes, "whatever, fine" he looked at Furlan. "Show us where Izzy got shot, Levi her will check out the bullets and see who they belong too. Eren" he looked at Levi's new boyfriend.

Eren eyed him closely, not missing the small smirk on Jeans face. "What."

"You and I are on the look out for anything. Ever seen a shooter?" Jean asked.

"No.."

"Look for anything suspicious" Was what Levi said, lifting his head up to look at Eren. "If there's a broken window, eye it. If someone stares over here, eye it. Jean has grounds here covered, but if someone from Reiner comes over here and sees me, we're fucked because another shoot out will break out, and that is the last thing I need."

"You three are protected just by me standing here" Jean spoke next, a sense of pride in his voice. "Everyone still thinks Furlan is with me, and if they see Levi here then they will not question his loyalty and think of it as normal. They will simply see you as an ally Eren, but we need to be careful."

Eren just nodded his head, he couldn't argue. Besides, the less time they spent here the more he could spend with Levi at home, maybe they could go to the beach later and swim. Maybe he could learn how to surf, or they could go visit Ollie again. 

The four of them set off to work. Jean looked on one side of the corner while Eren took the other, eyeing windows and other people like he was told. Behind them were Levi and Furlan, both kneeling on the ground.

"It happened there" Furlam pointed, "but other bullets were shot, I think I heard some hit the wall and they may have either bounced off into the road or onto the concrete, I'm not sure."

Levi stood up and eyed the wall of the abandoned building, tracing his hand over the wood until he found a dent. "It hit here" he said to Furlan, "there's a indent in this wood, and there's another one right beside it. Two of them hit here, unless they've been here before" _But I don't remember them,_ he thought to himself.

Furlan raised an eyebrow, "so.."

"So they would have had to hit the ground, not in the road." Levi explained, "It hit strong wood, if it would have hit concrete it would have bounced back off" He knelt down and leaned over, moving his hands around, feeling for a bullet. "Help me"

The older man nodded and knelt down as well, copying Levi's actions. It gave him flashbacks to when they would be on missions, except Furlan would be watching out while Levi identified whatever they were looking for.It was just like old times. 

Levi concentrated on the ground while he moved his hands around, finding the usual cigarette bud or random cracked pipe. He eventually went over something metal and stopped, it was a bullet. He grinned in satisfaction and snatched the bullet off of the ground, holding it close to his face. It was small and round, dull too. Which means it has been used before, and whoever used it before might have just picked it up somewhere after a shoot out as a last resource. 

After taking a couple seconds of examining the bullet, Levi looked up at Furlan. "It was one of Reiners guys, or Reiner himself."

Furlan raised a brow, "how do you know what?"

"Jean, come here." Levi ordered. 

With a roll of his eyes Jean turned and walked over to Levi, Eren following right behind him with his eyes on him. He tried his hardest not to make a comment, if he was going to get on Levi's good side, he would have to resist fighting with Eren. 

Levi had stood up, as well as Furlan, and turned around to face all three of them. He held up the bullet, "This bullet is a .45 ACP round, only found on small guns like a regular .45 Caliber. When I was in Reiners home all those years ago I got a snag at the gun he shot at me. There's no mistake, it was either Reiner or one of his goons because nobody in your gang has one of these, Jean."

Jean had his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to Levi, he wished he would have learned about these stupid bullets and shit. He left that all to Levi, and to this day he is still trying to pick up on it. "Give me the bullet." he held out his hand.

The raven handed it to him, "Now that I've identified the bullet, Eren, Furlan, and I are going back to the hospital. Make sure you kill the guy who did this." Levi said, and he turned to walk away.

However, Jean was not having it. He had reached a hand and placed it on Levi's shoulders. "I will not have you ordering me around, Rivaille. If you would have killed Reiner like you were supposed too, this would not be an issue. Isabels condition is on you."

The three men stopped the moment Jeans tough hand was placed on the shortest ones shoulder. Levi had froze, feet tied down to the concrete. He felt like he could not move. The initial thing he felt was fear, Jean hasn't touched him so long and the last time the man touched him he was brutally raped, held in place and beaten into submission. At the comment Jean made, Levi swiftly turned, acting on his instincts and swinging his fist as hard as he could without a second thought. 

It was something that Jean had not expected, and he was knocked back onto the ground. He held his soon to be bruised cheek and looked up at the raven, seeing the fury burning in the shorter mans eyes.

Eren and Furlan had both taken a step back, this was a situation between Levi and Jean, they could not do anything. Eren watched Levi close though, he's seen Levi act out in self defense and he fully believed that Levi could handle himself. If need be, Eren could step in.

Levi took a step towards Jean, knees shaking in the process. "I do not take orders from you anymore. And you are not allowed to put your hands on me anymore. I'm not your rag doll bitch boy you can take advantage of anymore." his deep voice growled, eyebrows knitting together in anger. "I know I didn't kill Reiner, but that was a choice of my own. If I would have fought, he would have beat me and you would have lost the best dealer you ever knew."

Jean smirked up at Levi, slowly getting back up to his feet. "I already did. You fucking went top side, heard you went to the north and you never decided to come back."

"If you're so angry about it then shoot me" Levi crossed his arms over his chest and leaned on one leg, his hip popping to the side in a sassy manner. He gave Jean his signature pointed look, "Go ahead, right now." he nodded towards the hidden gun on the band of Jeans pants. "I know you have one on you, dumbass. I'm not stupid."

Both Furlan and Eren could see Levi visibly shaking, standing up to Jean like this. Eren wanted to take Levi home and tell him it was okay, that nothing bad will happen, but he knew this wasn't over. It would be too simple. Jean gave him a bad vibe. 

"I'm not going to shoot you, raven" The nickname slipped out before Jean could think about it, he towered over Levi. "No, you're not stupid. You're a fucking machine, and that's why I liked you so much."

"You liked me because I brought you money" Levi sneered, trying his best to keep himself from shaking. "You may have brought me in, but I was the money maker. I was the one everyone steered clear of. To you I was a fucking puppet, but to everyone else I was a fucking rabid dog that if I let loose then everyone would know about it."

That gave Jean an idea, he rubbed his throbbing cheek. "You're onto something."

"What the fuck am I on about?" Levi stressed, "that I'm fucking right? That you're a fucking asshole? Jesus Christ Jean, you're a fucking idiot."

"Shut up, Rivaille" Jean glared down at him. Fuck, now that Levi learned to speak his mind this was going to be a lot harder than he thought it would be. 

"Shut up? You're telling me too-"

"Help me catch Reiner"

"You fuck-... huh?" Levi took a step back, processing what Jean just asked him. 

Jean crossed his arms over his chest, "help me catch Reiner."

Furlan stepped up at that, standing next to Levi. "What makes you think we will?"

The gang leader cocked his head, "I wasn't asking you, but if Levi agrees to help me catch Reiner, then I won't hunt you and Isabel down for treason. You did come back on my grounds after you two ran out, instead of shooting you I was the one who called the paramedics."

"No, you're not giving me a fucking ultimatum" Levi growled, this is what Jean used to do all the time. Most of the time, the only way Levi would listen to him was if he threatened to hurt Furlan or Isabel. Fuck him, he remembers how to get under Levi's skin. 

Jean noticed the anger radiating from Levi's body, if Levi was a cartoon steam would be coming from his ears. "Don't you want to protect your friends?"

Eren wrapped an arm around Levi's waist, resting it on Levi's lower back. He looked down, "Vi, you don't have to do this. We should go."

Truth was.. Levi was conflicted. If he agreed Furlan and Isabel wouldn't be hurt, but if he said no, he knows him and Furlan would be shot on the spot. He knew the rules, he knew everything. He felt Erens hand resting comfortingly on his lower back and he found a sort of relief in it, he wanted to relax but he could not show that in front of Jean. He looked to Furlan, "What do you think?"

Now, Furlan was not stupid. He knew this was how Jean cornered Levi many times before. He just ran a hand through his hair, his good hand. "I don't... I don't know.."

"You're smart Levi" Jean put his hand on the gun he kept on his belt.

Levi's instincts kicked in and he grabbed the knife in his belt, bringing it out and stepping forward, aiming the blade at Jeans neck. He felt no fear, only _protect Eren, protect Furlan._

Jean almost jumped back, forgetting how quick Levi was with his movements. He put both of his hands up, looking down at the knife aimed at his neck. He raised an eyebrow, "Ah.. so that is the knife I gave you, it's nice that you kept it with you all this time."

"Why should I help you catch Reiner?" Levi questioned.

"Because Levi, you're one of the best people I've had down here" Jeans head was still tilted up, neck exposed. He had to pretend to express vulnerability if this was going to work. "You can get in and out of someones house faster than me and Rico, not to mention Eld. Eld is only quick because you trained him, and he's not as quick as you. Help me catch Reiner."

Levi frowned and backed away, "you're serious?"

"Deadly" Jean said, "It won't be much, but we can come up with some sort of plan or something."

"Let me have some say in this" Eren spoke up, a cocky look on his face. "Let's hear the plan first, and if Levi does not like it then we will head out. Clear?"

Levi nodded, looking towards Jean, raising his eyebrow.

Jean rolled his eyes. "whatever, crystal."

"So let's hear it" Furlan rested his arm on Levi's shoulder, offering some comfort. 

"I think the best way to watch him is to catch him off guard" Jean began, "but.. if I remember clear, you and Reiner had some unfinished business and we can use that to get him out. He knows he shot one of mine, so he won't be coming out much after that. But.. if we bribe him with you" he looked down at Levi, "then maybe he'll come out."

"Bribe him with me?" Levi glared, "I can't make my name known on the south side Jean, I got out. I left, I went top side. I can't come back."

"You will for your dear friends" Jean spoke up, "And Eren here, couldn't imagine if I somehow found a way to track him down."

Levi and Eren tensed at that, Erens hand gripping the back of Levi's shirt nervously. Levi took notice and leaned into his side a little bit, not breaking eye contact with Jean. "Fine. I'll do it."

Eren looked down at him, "Levi-"

"Great" Jean smirked, "All I need to do is make your name known around here, come on a couple deals with me. It'll be like old times"

"Tch, whatever."

"It will make Reiner come out of hiding" Furlan admitted shamefully. 

Jean nodded his head, "yes, it will. You were always the smart one."

Eren frowned. "What will happen once Reiner comes out of hiding."

The gang leader turned to his ex's new boyfriend, "I can't take care of Reiner right away once he's out, it's just a gives me a chance to inspect his home while no one is home to see if the guy has sheet plans."

"Uh.." Eren scratched the back of his neck, "what are those?"

"Deals" Levi answered, looking up at Eren. "We didn't have them, but we heard rumors of Reiner having them years ago. He's messy, he writes down his deals and the times because he could not keep track of them."

Jean nodded, "and if we manage to get those plans, we know where Reiner will be and when."

Levi sighed and rubbed the side of his face, he could not believe this was happening. Fuck summer vacation. "Fine, you have a deal."

"We do" Jean spoke, he dug into his pocket, grabbing a piece of paper and handing it to Levi. "This is the number to my burner phone that I'm currently using. I know you still have one because that's how Furlan may have contacted you. Give me a call when you're ready to start shit up."

He took it, but then raised an eyebrow. "You knew."

"Knew what?"

"That I would be the person Furlan called" Levi glared, "thats why you called the ambulance, because you knew that Furlan would call me and get me down here. You knew what hospital they were going too, that's why you were there last night. Who says you're not in on this too? Do you want me back or something?"

"Don't be an idiot, Rivaille" Jean rolled his eyes, "Yes, I knew they would call you but I had my gun drawn at them first. Reiner beat me too it, he needs to know not to interfere with my plans."

Levi looked like he didn't believe his ex, and he didn't. "Fine, whatever. See you whenever" he turned, shrugging out of Erens grip and walking back to his car. "Guys, we're leaving."

Jean watched as Furlan and Eren gave him one more glance before following Levi to where his car was parked, he then turned around himself and began walking home. 

He would get back at Levi for leaving him like that.

The three of them loaded into Levi's car silently. Levi buckled and watched Jean round the corner and disappear out of view and he visibly relaxed. He just frowned as he started the car. 

Stupid. How stupid could be be? Agreeing to do this with Jean? What if Eren gets hurt? He couldn't believe he was doing this.

Levi dropped Furlan off at the hospital and said he would be there soon, he just needed to work some stuff out. Furlan just nodded and gave Levi a fist bump with his good hand and walked into the hospital, and then Levi drove himself and Eren back to the Ackermans household.

Kenny's truck was there just like this morning when they left, so they both knew to be quiet. Eren wasn't saying a word to Levi, and he knew the reason why. He knew Eren was mad at him for agreeing to work with Jean, and he hung his head low as they walked inside his home in shame. 

Fuck, he disappointed Eren. 

Eren opened the door for Levi when Levi typed in the pass code to his home, and Levi didn't say a thing as he walked inside first. When Eren shut the door behind them he trudged up the stairs, not sparing a glance towards Levi. He just walked into Levi's door and slammed it behind him and Levi flinched at the sound. 

He ran a stressed hand through his hair, he knew he should let Eren have his space. Levi was tempted to follow Eren but.. he thinks he may need some space too. Maybe that's what Eren was giving him. 

So he grabbed out his phone and called up the only person known to be extremely happy no matter what time of day. 

_"Well hello short stack! How's my favorite little bean doing?"_

"Hey" a small smile formed on his face, "I'm good, what are you doing right now?"

_"Uhh.. nothing right now. Mom and dad went to the grocery store so I'm just chillin in my room. Why?"_

"You think we could get some tea at the diner?" 

_"Sure! I'll meet cha there! Is Eren coming?"_

"No, he's asleep." Levi answered quickly. "Be there soon."

_"Bye!"_

Levi hung up the phone and walked upstairs and to his room, he opened the door and frowned when he saw Eren laying in the bed, back facing the door and blankets up to his shoulder. He sighed and walked over, sitting down on the bed. "I'm sorry, Eren."

Eren laid there, not saying a word to Levi. 

"You're not making this any easier" Levi snapped, "You think I want to work with Jean?"

The younger man did not move, but he did open his eyes.

"I'm working with the man who made me kill, who raped me and beat me." Levi looked down, "I don't want too but I can't risk you getting hurt Eren.. and I will do anything to prevent you, Furlan, and Izzy from getting hurt. I'm sorry you're dragged into this, you can do your own thing while I do this. You don't have to help me, I'm so sorry Eren."

Eren took in Levi's words, he wasn't mad at Levi at all, he was frustrated that this was their only open. He rolled over to face Levi, leaning up on his elbow. "You do not have to apologize to me." he whispered softly, putting his hand on top of Levi's.

"I don't deserve someone like you. You should not be with someone like me" Levi didn't move his hand but he did look away from Erens lingering gaze. 

"Don't talk like that" Eren traced Levi's hand with his thumb. "Babe, I.. I just don't want this to traumatize you.. you've been doing so good and now the guy who did this to you.. you're working side by side with him."

Levi looked at Eren, a dull look in his stormy grey eyes. "You think I don't know that?"

Eren frowned at the hostile voice, "I know you know, Vi. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"This isn't about me, it's about Izzy. After this is done, I'll send Furlan and Izzy on their way. I'll take more money from Jean and maybe I can use Erwin to.." An idea crossed Levi's mind.

"I know that look" Eren raised an eyebrow, "you have an idea don't you?"

"I do" Levi's face brightened and he leaned down, pressing a kiss to Erens forehead. "I'll tell you tomorrow, I'm going to go get some tea with Hange." he stood up. "Take a nap, I'll be back in an hour."

"See ya."

Levi walked out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!  
> leave kudos :)


	29. Caught Up In Old Ways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> seriously, thank you to everyone who is reading this story. i know my writing is not the best, and it just makes me happy that yall give me a chance. love yall.

"You're not telling me something.. what's up?"

"I'm just stressed and I uh.. I think I want to take H, Hange."

"Oh, Levi..."

They had met up for tea like they said they would, the two of them chose the table outside the diner because it was more private and the scenery was better than inside. Hange had ordered tea and Levi ordered the same, except his was warm and hers was cold. The hot tea relaxed him, and that's what he needed right now. 

It's been about twenty minutes of silence before Hange finally spoke up, asking Levi what was wrong. 

She only knows very little about her friends past, but she knows that it was rough and he had to grow up too fast. She knew that Levi did not have the luxury life her and Erwin had growing up, that's for sure.

But, one thing she did know of was Levi's drug addiction. It wasn't to weed or alcohol, but it was to Heroine. He had told her a couple months after being friends, when they applied for colleges and Levi was stressed, he had confided in Hange and Erwin and told the both of them how at one point in his life he was addicted to it. They had easily accepted him and told him it was okay, and that no matter what they were proud of him for overcoming it. 

However, Levi had told him he went to rehab, but in reality he went through an at home detox. He also did not tell them about Jean, only that he had an ex who was abusive. 

Levi didn't know that he wanted drugs until he said something, and the moment it slipped out of his mouth there was no going back. He simply just stared at Hange, blank faced and eyes dull. 

Taking a second glance at Levi, Hange saw how tired her friend looked. He had looked fine at the party three days ago, now he looked tired, worn out. Did something happen with Eren?

"Why do you want to take H, hun?" she asked carefully, "is everything with Eren and Kenny okay?"

That was an easy enough question to answer. "Yes" he sipped at his tea. 

She nodded, "and I know everything is okay with school, so what else is bothering you?"

That was a fucking hard question, because then Levi would have to explain to her literally everything. "I can't tell you everything right now Hange, I'm sorry"

"I understand" She reached over the table, putting her hand on top of Levi's. "you don't have to tell me your problems all the time Levi, you're allowed privacy. But it's good that you came to me instead of seeking out some Heroine, I'm proud of you."

Levi's cheeks reddened and he looked away, sipping his tea. "Tch"

Hange snickered and rolled her eyes, "You should learn how to accept compliments, Eren should be doing a better job."

Finally, a small smile crossed Levi's face at the mention of his boyfriend. "He's doing a great job."

"I'm glad, short stack" Hange smiled brightly, her signature look. "Moblit might be coming down here next week, maybe we can all go to a party or something? Double date?"

"It's on" Levi smiled. 

Yes, if only he makes it to next week.

Levi went home an hour later like he promised Eren. He entered his room quietly after saying hi to Kenny, and shutting the door behind him. 

Eren was there, sitting on the bed playing video games and yelling into his head set. 

_So much for taking a nap,_ Levi thought to himself. He just scoffed and threw his phone at Eren to get his boyfriends attention. 

When something hard hit shoulder, Eren flinched. "What the fuck?" he spoke and turned, rubbing his shoulder but when he looked up his face brightened. "Hey Levi!"

He reminded Levi of Isabel sometimes, with the bright green eyes and the happy go lucky attitude. Eren always saw positive, and it made Levi jealous sometimes. Levi and Eren were so different, but him and Isabel were like the same person. It was one of the things that Levi loved about him. 

Levi set his sunglasses on the dresser and unzipped his shorts, and crawled onto the bed. He was in a mood, and even though his mind said otherwise, Levi really wanted Eren to just take him and make him forget about the upcoming week. 

At the sight of Levi crawling onto the bed, Eren's smile turned into a devious smirk. Gotta go" Eren said into the head set and he turned it off, taking it off of his head and turning off his game. He faced Levi, "what's got you in a mood, hm?"

The raven straddled Erens lap and leaned down, pressing seductive kisses to Erens perfect jawline, and down to his neck. 

"Woah there" Eren set his hands on Levi's hips, giving them a small squeeze and chuckling when Levi's hips bucked. "someone's a little horny."

The only response Levi provided was biting softly at Erens neck. He wanted Eren, he wanted him to make him forget. Forget about Jean, about Isabel, about the Heroine, everything. 

To fuck him senseless. 

Eren knew something was up, Levi wasn't talking but his actions said everything. He witnessed Levi's shaking hands rest upon his biceps and he kissed Levi's temple, not questioning the silence or the shaking. He felt the same way, he wanted to forget about everything too. Maybe they needed this. 

At the feeling of Levi leaving him a hickey, Eren winced but kept his reaction to a minimum. He did have a boner though, thanks to Levi grinding down on his clothed dick. He could feel Levi's dick too, and it was as hard as a rock. "You're driving me crazy, Vi."

Levi's response was to lick over the hickey, soothing whatever pain he caused and humming softly in response. 

Eren sighed in pleasure, rubbing his thumb over Levi's prominent hip bones. "Fuck, I love you so much. I'm so proud of you Vi."

There it was again, the second person within an hour to tell him they were proud of him. Levi still was not used to people saying things like that, and it still kind of made him uncomfortable. He didn't know why, Eren complimented him all the time. So why did he still feel this way?

It saddened Levi that he may never be able to accept a compliment like that because of the severe trauma he endured. Every time he got a form of praise he would simply glare, not believing them. Because when Jean praised him, the handful of times that he did, even though Levi did good, he still got beat. He got beat no matter what he did, whether Jean liked it or not. Because Jean has anger problems, Levi was surprised that Jean hadn't exploded on Levi already for standing up to him. 

Years ago, Jean would have been considered the alpha in their pairing, which left Levi to be the omega. He would wait on Jean hand and foot, do whatever Jean asked him and even though he tried his hardest, nothing was ever _just right._ There was always some mistake Levi would make. 

But Jean never let it be known that he abused the shit out of Levi, except for the one time he beat Levi almost to death in his front yard. That's when the other gang members found out about it, and they had begun to hang around Levi more to protect him because he was a kid.

A kid. Levi was the youngest member of the gang, and even though at the time he lacked the muscle, he had all the brains and Jean put him in charge of things whenever he would leave.

It was too much responsibility for a kid. 

For Levi. 

Nothing could stop the tears that brimmed at Levi's eyes and eventually fell over. He simply relaxed against Eren and buried his face into Erens neck, resting it there and allowing the tears to fall. 

He's had no time to react to the sudden change in events. Levi is too worried about the people he cares about to worry about himself, and he would never admit it to Eren, but he was fucking scared. Scared that something would happen to him, that if he says one wrong thing and Jean would beat the shit out of him like he used too. Maybe the man would finally finish the job this time around, he did have the right to kill Levi since he left him. It was gang rules.

What Levi hated the most was that he had shot and killed someone for leaving Jeans side, and then five months afterwards he was the one leaving. He was a fucking hypocrite, he didn't deserve to be here right now. He should've died last night, it was Jeans right, so why didn't he?

There has to be more to this plan at getting Reiner than Levi saw, and he was smart. Back then, he could tell of Jean was bullshitting or not. Now though, for some reason, Levi could not tell what Jeans end game was here. Sure, he hates Reiner for many reasons, but involving Levi? The only thing Levi could think about was the fact that Jean wanted him back.

And Levi wouldn't blame him, the raven was the money maker, his prized trophy on the south side. 

Eren didn't process it fast enough, first Levi was horny and leaking a hickey on his skin, grinding their dicks together, then all of a sudden Levi had deflated. He was about to ask what was up with his boyfriend but then he felt it. 

Wetness on his skin, his neck specifically. 

In an instant, Eren had wrapped his muscular arms around Levi's slender frame and held him tight, nuzzling their heads together, one hand resting on the back of Levi's head. He rested his cheek on Levi's head, not missing the way Levi's hands wrapped around his middle and gripped at his shirt, a silent plea of _just tell me it's okay, that's I'm doing the right thing._

Eren would give that to him.

"Shh" Eren whispered into Levi's ear, "It's okay baby, it's alright."

Levi let out a soft noise, it wasn't a sob, more like a small whimper but Eren got the meaning. _I'm sorry._

"You're trying your best" Erem mumbled, rubbing Levi's back when he felt the the tears roll down and get caught by his shirt. "It's alright, I know it's hard seeing him again."

_It is, you have no idea Eren._ Levi squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his grip around his lover, _I'm so fucking scared of what he might do to me, to you._

Eren just held Levi close, reaching one of his hands up to run through Levi's black hair. "He will not lay another hand on you-"

That pushed Levi over the edge, the mention of Jean touching him, _again._ He hated how natural it was for Jean to touch him like that, and he hated that he expected to get hit. Levi finally let out a sob, and then another, then another until he was flush against Erens body, letting it all out. 

All Eren did was hold him tight, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. 

"It will all be okay" he comforted, "this will all pass over, it will be okay. Five years from now you will be over this, we'll graduate college and you know what? We'll live in a nice house, have some kids and a dog, a really cute dog, maybe two?"

He had only started ranting once Levi started sobbing, but he noticed Levi calm down slightly,so he kept going. 

"It will be a two story house and a white fence, maybe black, depending on how we're feeling. We would have a big yard, and our kitchen will be huge so you can cook your little heart out. While you're writing in your office, a new york times best seller, I'll be helping our kids with math homework. They'll get good grades and be proud of their dads, maybe they'll grow up to be in the military, or maybe college like us."

Levi relaxed against Eren, breathing out sweet small breaths. 

Eren smiled and continued on, "I'm thinking about adopting two boys and one girl, I've always wanted three kids. Or maybe two, we could adopt siblings? I would love to adopt a little baby though, so I don't know. I would love to see you with a baby in your arms." He kissed Levi's head and noticed the blush on the ravens cheeks, he chuckled. "You want a baby too?"

Levi nodded in response, sniffling. 

"We'll adopt one" Eren reassured, smiling. "We have a huge future ahead of us, hun. Jean will be long gone soon enough, we'll bust him and you'll be free. It will all be okay, Levi."

His arms tightened around Eren in response.

Eren held him close, "Everything will be okay baby, I promise."

They stayed like that for awhile until Levi's breathing evened out, and Eren looked down to see the raven had in fact fallen asleep in his lap. If he wasn't, he was a very good actor. 

So, Eren did the only thing he could think to do, tuck him in.

He moved so they were both comfortable and pulled the blankets over them, holding Levi close in his arms and turning both of their phones off. Eren let out a sigh, falling asleep soon after Levi did.

Hopefully tomorrow would be better.

-

"Levi I can't do this, this is too big for someone like me. I just got the job here, so why do you think I have the power to do this?"

"Please Erwin? Since when do I beg for anything?"

"Christ"

When Erwin agreed to meet up with Levi and Eren, the last thing he thought they would be talking about would be a drug bust. One moment they were talking about their day, but then Levi had brought it up and assumed that Erwin had some sort of power in the police department. He may have graduated top of his class, but he didn't have any power yet. 

Eren was leaning back on the couch, they were in Erwins house, his parents were on vacation so it was only Erwin home and he had today off work. He had his arm around Levi's waist as he drank his water, and Levi was leaning into his arms, legs over Erens thighs as he spoke to Erwin, who was sitting on his recliner. 

"Please, Erwin?" Levi practically begged, giving Erwin his best puppy dog eyes. 

Erwin pinched his nose, "How in the hell do you have a lead in a drug bust, Levi? And to the two most well known gangs on the south side?"

Levi's plan wasn't _that_ ridiculous. He frowned at the question. "There was a shooting down south, one of my best friends and she's currently in a coma, unable to give a statement. Remember when I was addicted to H? I got it from one of the gang members, so I know them. Can you start up an investigation?"

He could reveal some, but he really did not want to explain his story all over again. 

"Levi, I can't start something like that" Erwin said, "I'm only a cadet, I have no power."

"But what if I riled them up?" Levi asked, sitting up straighter. "What if I caused something else to happen?"

"Then the police would question you first and your involvement" Eren sadly spoke, it was the truth. They would look at his behavioral history, and Levi got into a lot of fights at all the schools he was at. "They would also look into your history, and you did fight a lot in school."

Levi looked away, "whatever."

Eren looked down at Levi, surprised. "No shit? How the hell did you get a full ride to Maria then?"

"That's not what I came here to talk about" Levi rolled his eyes at Eren, then looked back at Erwin. "There's gotta be some advice you have to give me, Erwin. My friend is in the hospital because someone shot her, it was a drive by and I know who did it. It has to be Reiner, you gotta give me _something_."

"You need more evidence" Erwin tapped his finger on his glass, "If you go to the cops now, they won't care because it is south side. What they will care about though is the drug bust, that's what you have to lead with. If what you're saying is true, then the main focus has to be Reiner and the other guy, not you. You can't have any involvement, just let them run their course."

"Shit" Levi frowned, he was hoping for something. Erwin always helped him with his problems, but he also understood where his friend was coming from. 

Eren rubbed Levi's back comfortingly, "we'll figure this out, it's okay, Vi."

Levi stood up, "I'll get more evidence for you Erwin, I'll get the attention of the LBPD, just watch me." 

Erwin watched as Eren stood up too, following his boyfriend to the front door. "Whatever you say, Levi." Erwin knew Levi was capable of anything he put his mind too, sometimes it was even scary. He didn't doubt Levi's statement though, he would back Levi up with whatever he needed him too. They were best friends after all. 

And they left. As soon as they walked out the door, Eren smirked down at his lover. "You gotta plan?" he asked, squinting his eyes at the bright California sun.

Levi grabbed his burner phone from his pocket, dialing the number Jean gave him. "I do, and you're going to help me."

-

With a swift call to Jean and a confirmation from the gang leader, Levi agreed to meet with Jean to do a deal that was scheduled soon. The nerves from seeing Jean had gone down some, thank goodness, Levi doesn't think he could handle that again. If anything, Levi was good at compartmentalizing and his main goal was to get Jean and Reiner arrested and they would not be able to do that if Levi's emotions got in the way of things. Levi was book and street smart, which made him a very valuable player in this game. 

Despite not liking this plan, Eren had said he wanted full involvement in it. He trusted Levi and he wasn't afraid, because he could handle his own and it looks like Eren and Jean would be an easy match, but also because Levi knew the gang ways like the back of his hand and he has friends in the justice system. Not to mention, Levi was very well known on these streets and nobody messed with him, not even Reiner. 

If anything, the power Levi radiated down in a place like this was a big turn on for Eren, he would never admit it though. To be dating someone that people were scared of, and whatever Levi says goes, it was very comforting because Eren had no say in anything down here. He wasn't street smart in the slightest, he always just kept his nose in the books. In this perspective, Levi and Eren are two different people. 

As they waited for Jean at the meeting point in Levi's car, Eren had his hands folded in his lap and his mind was running in circles. He did not want to see Jean again and he knew Levi didn't want too either. He looked over at Levi, who was leaning back casually in his seat, his sunglasses on and a snap back, arms behind his head and eyes closed, which was so unlike Levi. "Hey Vi?"

"Hm?"

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" He asked, that caught Levi's attention and the raven turned his head, looking over at his lover. "Shouldn't we just.. I don't know.. let the cops handle some of this? Won't that be safer for us?"

"It could be" Levi mumbled, "but the right people won't get in trouble, and I need to see this through. I can't let Reiner run free, and if I get Jean arrested in the process, then that'll be it."

"I get that, I do, but the moment this becomes too dangerous you'll stop.. right?" Eren asked, hopeful.

Levi just gave him a small smile that was only reserved for Eren, "course."

They sat and talked to themselves for a little while until another black car pulled up, an old one that Levi knew so well. The car parked behind Levi's, it was rusted around the tired but other than that it looked brand new, like it used too. Levi was there with Jean when he bought the car, it was around the time he was recruited into the gang. Levi watched Jean exit the car in his rear view mirror and he turned to Eren, handing him the keys. "I gotta go over some rules really quick because these things can get ugly sometimes, so listen, okay?"

Eren simply nodded and took the keys, "yeah."

"Stay in the car" Levi took off his sunglasses and hat, throwing them in the back seat. "Keep it running, you will be driving. I don't know who this deal is with, so in case I need you to drive, you will be in the drivers seat all ready to go. Second, do not leave the car. You're my get away car right now, so you stay in the car even if it gets ugly. Third, do not roll down my windows, they're tinted and I don't need anyone peeking in them. Don't say anything, okay?"

"I.." He hasn't seen Levi look this serious in the long time, and that's saying something. Eren shook his head, "Okay, I love you Vi."

"love you too" Levi leaned over and pressed a kiss to Erens lips, "come on, get out and get in the drivers seat."

They both exited the car and Eren got on the drivers side, he started the car and kept the door open while Jean walked over to the car. Levi stayed close to Eren too, his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. Eren just wanted to watch, the person hadn't gotten there yet, so he would simply wait. 

"I'm surprised you even called me up today" Jean had said once he got up to the car.

Levi cocked his head to the side, "I didn't call for you, you fuck. You know why I'm doing this."

"Oh please, south side is your home Rivaille, you should have stayed."

"Hey" Eren voiced, deep voice penetrating the conversation. "Don't start shit Jean, keep it professional. Do what you guys came to do, and then leave."

Jean raised a brow, "little protective, are we?"

Eren glared and almost stepped out of the car, but Levi looked down at Eren with such sternness that if Eren didn't know Levi personally he would be frozen in his spot. Levi shook his head, "no fighting, not now."

That calmed Eren down a second, but he really wanted to beat the shit out of this guy. 

Levi knew that, but he saw the bigger picture, Eren did not. 

"Is that them?" Levi asked when he saw someone across the street park on the side, it was a dark blue old car with wide rims that shined bright. The car was busted on one side, maybe someone had crashed into it before. 

Jean looked over and saw two men exiting the car and walking into the nearest alley way where they said they would meet up at, he played with the drugs in his pocket and looked down at Levi. _Just like old times_ , he thought to himself with a smirk on his face. "Yeah, it is" he said, "let's go, Rivaille."

Levi looked back at Eren and leaned down, opening the door and pressing a kiss to Erens forehead for reassurance. "Don't watch" he whispered, and Eren could hear the shame in Levi's voice. All he did was nod his head silently and turn the car on, shutting the door and watching as the two men turned, walking towards the alley way. 

It was like old times, and Levi hated to say it, but it was. It was easy to fall back into routine with Jean because this was his life for so long, and Levi hated it. Even though he saw the bigger picture, Levi still hated Jean with every inch of his being, and being around Jean was making his ticks even worse. 

They swiftly walked into the alley way, side by side, step by step. This was it, Levi couldn't go back from this. Once his name was out there then the plan will be put into action, after this they would have to wait for Reiner to come out of hiding. This.. this was it. 

The two men, both were tall but one had blonde hair and the other had dark red hair. They looked around Jeans age, big buff men that would have women running the moment they saw them. Both of them looked intimidating, like they could kill you, and that was a thrill that Levi sometimes missed.

Jean had spoke first, his cocky voice booming through the alleyway. "Well how y'all doin'?"

The man with red hair went to greet Jean, but his gaze was focused on the short angry looking man with him. He swore he knew this guy, he remembered the dark hair. Who was he?

The blonde man spoke, his voice deep and rough sounding. "do you have what we need?"

Levi recognized this man, the blonde guy was someone Levi used to personally sell too but only at night so his identity was not found out. His name was Jeff, the other guy with the red hair though, Levi could not pin point where he knew him. 

"Aw, so quick to get down to business huh? Not even a conversation?" Jean mocked, he was always cocky during these types of things. That was one thing Levi forgot about, and before he would join in on joking around, but Levi wasn't in the mood to play around.

Jeff took a step forward, clearly not having the best day either. "I don't care about formalities, give me what I want and I will be on my way"

At the corner of Levi's eye he watched Jeff reach for his pocket and that could only meet one thing, and Levi played into his old ways. A slim glare and deep frown plastered itself on his face and he took a step forward, putting himself in front of Jean despite how much he wished he could let Jeff shoot him. But.. he had a job to do, he will get justice for Izzy and he needed Jean alive. 

"Be patient, brat." Levi sneered.

"What the fuck, kid? Who do you think you are?"

Now that the red haired man got a closer look at the shorter man standing in front of the gang leader, he saw the dark stormy grey eyes and his own eyes widened. He walked up to Jeff, putting a hand on his shoulder. "J.."

"What, Isaac?" Jeff turned his head to look at him.

The red haired man, Isaac, looked scared. "That's Rivaille Ackerman."

"..what?"

Oh no.

Jean smirked, he knew dealing with these two guys would do the trick. Word would get around instantly. All he had to do was play it out. "What, you didn't know Rivaille was back on town?" He smirked at their shocked and fearful faces. 

"I thought he ran out! We got told he went top side, why the fuck haven't you shot him Jean? You know the rules. Shoot him, right now!" Jeff pointed to Levi, finger almost reaching the ravens chest.

Levi looked down at Jeffs dirty finger and growled, grabbing the mans hand and bending the fingers back. "Don't come near me with your filthy hands" he smiled viciously when Jeff cried out in pain, "I might get dirty."

Isaac watched with wide eyes as Jeff was brought just to his knees by just Levi threatening to break his fingers, he looked back at Levi. "Rivaille, he didn't mean too. Honest, he's sorry!" 

"Tch" Levi scoffed and put his foot to Jeffs chest, kicking him down to the ground. Jeff let out a _hmph!_ Levi stood over him, radiating a level of dominance. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"O-of course" Jeff looked up at Levi, he was in a bad position and he would do anything to get out. He remembers hearing stories about Levi and Jean, how they were both legit insane. He thought the south side got a break when Levi went top side, but now that Levi was back.. it could all be hell.

Jean was not surprised how easy Levi went back into his old ways, he could tell Levi has changed, but apparently he has not changed enough because he still knew how to put fear into people. Jean wanted to laugh, this was going to be easier than he thought. 

Levi looked down at the man below him, an emotionless look on his face. His bangs fell in front of his stormy grey eyes, an evil glint within them. He leaned down and felt at Jeffs side, grabbing the gun in his belt and taking it out. He took the safety off the weapon and taking a step back, crossing his arms over his chest. He had full control of this deal and he wasn't going to lie, it felt good. "Get up, you pathetic shit."

Jeff scrambled to his feet, Isaac grabbed his arm and helped him up. "What do you want us to do, Rivaille?"

They knew the stories about Levi, how he was in Jeans gang and was one hell of a dealer. Levi brought in the most money, and they heard all the rumors associating Levi with the murders around town. They had a right to be scared of them.

Levi cocked the gun and aimed it at the two men, "I want you to get word around that I'm back on the south side, especially to Reiner."

"Why-"

Levi glared and aimed the gun at the sky, pulling the trigger, a loud bang echoing throughout the alley way.

Jean stepped up then, laughing a bit at Levi's antics. "You must excuse Rivaille here, he hasn't had a good day. Actually, he's not in the mood to deal with anyones shit and neither am I. So, I'll make ya a little deal" he said, looking over at a scared Isaac and Jeff. "All the goodies I got in my pocket for ya will be free if you get word around that Levi is back on the south side with me, and you'll get better deals with my every transaction afterwards."

Both boys stayed silent, not knowing what to say.

"You know of me, right?" Levi took a step closer to them, "you know who I am? What I've done? Ya know, the last person who said no to me got killed by my own bare hands, so I suggest you choose wisely."

"As you can see" Jean walked right up to Levi and he had the audacity to wrap his arm around the ravens waist, not missing how Levi's entire body tensed up. "He is not in the mood, one order from me and he will kill you."

"Are you two back together?" Isaac asked carefully. 

"Course we are, he needed a vacation and I gave it to him, of course. But now he's back, and has shit to take care of. Surely, you would like to be on Rivailles good side, I assume?" Jean smirked, watching at the corner of his eye how Levi's eyes twitched, raising the gun and casually aiming it at the two men in front of him. Jean felt proud, he raised a fucking monster and no goody two-shoe boyfriend Levi had would ever change that. Levi was a thug, a good one at that, and nothing will ever change. Nothing. "now.. choose."

It was silent, the only thing heard was their breathing and distant gun shots in another area and some cars driving by. The soft humming of Levi's car that was running calmed the raven a little bit, finding comfort that Eren was still right behind him, ready to defend him if need be. Truly, Levi was losing his patience because Jeans disgusting arm was now around his shoulders and all he wanted to do was peel it off. 

Eren watched from the car, eyes trained on his boyfriend watching his every move. From when Levi stepped in front of Jean, to him knocking down a blonde guy, to shooting a gun in the air, to now. It looked like now they were barely talking. And how Levi did not react when Jean touched him, Eren had to remind himself that this was all an act. Seeing Jean lay a hand on Levi.. 

It was so weird to see Levi like this, Eren wasn't worried for him at all if he was being honest. From where he was sitting, Levi was in full control of the entire deal. He had the gun and it seemed like everyone was focused on him and Jean. Eren wondered if that was how all of their deals went in the past, if Jean made Levi out to be the bad guy, the monster.. that's how he invented Rivaille, and it's why Levi does not go by his real name anymore.

He continued to watch from the car, his hands tight on the steering wheel. For some reason, it was nice to see a part of where Levi grew up, it just sucks because this was so traumatic for him. He wanted to see all of Levi's past but it would be so traumatic, he doesn't think he will ever ask. Eren would show Levi anything, but he understands why. 

Quietly, Eren rolled down the window an inch to hear what was happening when he saw commotion going on. One of the guys, the blonde one, had a gun aimed at him and before Levi could shoot, Eren watched as Jean stood in front of Levi and quickly defend him, grabbing the guys arm and twisting it behind his back. He saw Levi put a gun to the red haired mans head, and then there was shouting, and then it was quiet. 

Erens eyes widened at the turn of events, he wished he could hear what was going on. He could see how unsettled Levi looked, but it was hid underneath a wicked smile that Eren had never seen before. Levi rarely ever smiled, and when he did it was for Eren, but this side of Levi.. wide eyes and wicked smile.. he doesn't think he wants to see this again. 

They must have came to an agreement because Jean barked an order at Levi to let go, and Levi's smile dropped and he responded by kicking the red haired man to the ground. Eren watched as the blonde and red head backed up, Levi throwing the gun back to them and they ran off. He saw Jean take a couple steps towards Levi, but the ravens face turned into a glare and he stepped away from Jean. 

However, it looks like Jean didn't agree with whatever Levi said to him because the older man grabbed him by the arm, spinning him around and saying something. All Eren could see was Levi's back side, but judging by Levi's hand on his knife by his side and another arm pointed towards Jeans chest, and Jeans angry face, they were not too happy. 

The brunette stared both of them down, watching Levi carefully. He could hear bits and pieces of their voices, but could not pin point any real words they were saying because of how loud Levi's car was. He did hear Levi raising his voice and Jean raising his voice right back, but eventually everything just stopped. 

Levi had swiftly turned with a loud _"fuck you!"_ directed towards Jean, and walked angrily back to his car. Eren rolled up the windows like he hadn't been listening and looked straight ahead. The raven got into the car and sat down with a huff, buckling his seat belt and crossing his arms over his chest as he locked the doors. 

Eren looked over at him, Levi was red in the face and he looked manic. He rested a hand on Levi's slim thigh gently, "baby, everything okay?"

"He's such an asshole" Levi huffed, "a fucking asshole, fuck" he buried his face in his hands. "Fuck."

"Hey, Vi, calm down.." Eren voiced softly, he gripped Levi's thigh tighter. "What did he say?"

"I want to go home." Levi sighed, "can you take us home?"

Eren frowned, but nodded. "Yes" and he turned, putting the car in drive and heading back towards Levi's home. 

-

"Fuck me"

"What?"

"Fuck me, Eren, now."

They had just arrived back to Levi's home and were now in the smaller mans bedroom. Both were undressed and Levi had crawled into Erens lap, grabbing at his car and leaving open mouthed kisses on Erens tan neck. Eren didn't forget what happened yesterday when Levi tried too.

"Levi I don't want to be a buzz kill but yesterday-"

"You're hard" Levi whispered, "please Eren, _please._ "

There it was, that seductive voice Levi used only when he really wanted to fuck. Eren melted away instantly and he gripped Levi's hips hard, probably hard enough to leave a couple finger print shaped bruises. "Hm" he hummed, using one hand to tangle into Levi's hair, yanking back. His ears perked up at the pained cry Levi let out, and he kissed harshly at Levi's neck. "You're awfully needy, aren't cha?"

Levi's only response was to grind his crotch on Erens to try and get some friction, his hands were resting on each of Erens sculpted pecs. His fingers tracing over each line of muscle Erens body produced, God, Eren was so fucking hot. 

Eren smirked and bit down on Levi's sweet spot, earning a cry of his name as he sucked, leaving a very noticeable hickey on Levi's neck. He wanted to mark his territory, he didn't give a damn who sees it. After seeing Jean put his arm across Levi's shoulders, seeing jean touch him, Eren didn't want to waste any time showing that idiot who Levi belonged too. 

His anger took over him so much that he heard a wince of pain come from Levi that obviously was not intentional, he loosened his grip on Levi's hair and rubbed softly at his head. "Sorry baby" he said as he pressed kisses along Levi's sharp jawline. "You want me to fuck you?"

"God, _yes_."

"Can I tie you up?"

"..yes.."

It was like any other night they had sex, Eren tied his lover up nice and good and fucked him till he was a sobbing mess on the bed. By the end of their session Levi was crying from over stimulation and Eren had after shocks from the amazing blowjob he received. Eren untied Levi when they finished and rubbed lotion on the smaller mans back side since he did get carried away with smacking him while they fucked, but it looked like Levi didn't really mind. Once he finished that and cleaning them off, him and Levi cuddled up close to each other on the bed. Because it was comfortable, yes, but also because it was for comfort. For each other, they needed it. 

Erens hand accidentally brushed over Levi's sore dick and he laughed when Levi flinched away, "ha, I'm sorry"

Levi let out a small laugh too, rolling his eyes. "No you're not."

"How's your backside?" 

"Oh, so _now_ you're concerned? You weren't when you wouldn't take your hand off my ass" Levi teased. 

Eren whined, "Levi..."

"Yes, I feel fine" Levi chuckled, pressing a kiss to Erens hand. "You take good care of me, I promise."

"That's all I wanna do"

"Want too"

"You're really gonna correct me when we're having a moment?"

"Going too"

"Fuck you, Levi"

"Well if you insist"

"..wow.."

While Eren slept, Levi replayed Jeans words in his head. 

_Levi turned around to walk away from Jean but the man grabbed him by his arm, turning Levi around before he could react and hold him in place. "Don't you dare walk away from me, Rivaille, you know better."_

_"You know better than to bark orders at me" Levi growled, shoving Jean away and pointing a finger to his chest. "Without me, this whole plan wouldn't fucking work. you need me."_

_"You're right I do need you, but that doesn't mean you can be an asshole" Jean huffed out, "I've been nothing but nice to you! This plan won't work if you won't listen to me!"_

_"Oh, you're being nice?" Levi put his hand over the knife in his belt. "Nice? Don't even talk to me about being fucking nice. You made me murder for you, you abused the shit out of me, you raped me and made me believe that it was okay. I was a fucking kid, you're not a good person Jean, you're a piece of shit and I should have killed you years ago. I should fucking kill you right now."_

_Jean raised an eyebrow, "You want too, huh? What happened to you being a better person? You're first instinct is to kill me, so do it. Fall into your old routine, kill for fun and listen to my orders like a good little bitch. I saw you hold that gun to Isaacs head, I saw you smile" He leaned down to Levi's level so they were face to face. "You wanted to kill him, it's in your blood, Rivaille. You're a monster, nothing has changed. I raised you good."_

Little did Jean know, everything changed. And everything comes back around and bites you in the ass. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!  
> leave kudos!


	30. Hit By Trusted Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, i had a similar reaction to something that a main character will have in this chapter. i dont know how other people deal with ptsd, but for me i get really sick and run a fever but there is a trigger warning for this chapter, even though i shouldnt have to put one since theres a trigger warning for this entire book.

"You have to understand how much I care about you to be doing this, you little shit"

_"I appreciate it Erwin, really."_

"Don't be acting all nice now you asshole, I'm involved in this now because of you."

_"Because you love me."_

Erwin could not believe what he was doing right now. Erwin, Valedictorian in his high school, graduated top of his class, was a fucking police officer and a goody two-shoes, was breaking into the back room of the police station where they kept their extra equipment. 

"You owe me big time, Levi" Erwin grumbled as he unlock the door with the keys he swiped from his instructor the previous hour. Well, not swiped exactly but he asked for them because he said heforgot an extra pair of hand cuffs, and his instructor just handed him the keys and told Erwin _do not forget them this time, officer_. 

Yes, Erwin was an officer now and has finished every ride along. He had his own police car and everything, not to mention he was his instructors favorite. 

But right now, that didn't matter. He's breaking into the back room for Levi, of course it was for Levi. His friend was always causing him trouble. 

_"Yeah yeah I owe ya, I promise it'll all be worth it. I just need two of them, one for me and one for Eren."_

To be honest, Erwin really didn't know what Levi needed mics for but he knew Levi wouldn't just ask him like this. His best friend knew for a fact that Erwin loved his job as a police officer, he just made an arrest yesterday and he felt powerful because the guy had murdered a young female and Erwin was the one who caught him and now people in the force respected Erwin. So his friend obviously had to have a good reason to be asking Erwin to do this.

Erwin unlocked the back room and walked inside, phone still pressed to his ear. "How would you have gotten these if I wouldn't have gotten them for you?" Erwin asked as he unlocked one of the drawers, grabbing two of their undercover microphones.

_"Probably would have stole them or something"_

"You're impossible, what do you need these for anyway?" 

_"Like I told you before, it has to do with my friend who got shot. I told you I was going to get justice for her, and since cops don't care about the south side, I'll take shit into my own hands."_

Erwin sighed, "Levi-"

_"It's nothing against you Erwin, so chill, it's the fucked up system sometimes. You're really helping me by getting these, I promise ya I won't rat ya out, these things can be ordered, right?"_

"Yes"

_"Then that's that, I'll say that I ordered them instead of you giving them to me. This is just faster."_

Erwin stuffed them in his pockets and stood up, phone still to his ear as he exited the equipment room and locked it behind him. Then he proceeded to leave the keys on the sheriffs desk while he walked out of the police station and to his car, a nice white impala police car. "I can't believe I've done this."

_"Proud of you for breaking the law."_

He unlocked his car and got inside, "You want to come over and pick these up today? Mom and dad still are on their vacation so it's just me, so you and Eren can hang out for awhile."

_"Is your pool open? Can we swim?"_

Erwin laughed and started his car, "yes its open and you can swim, want to spend the night?"

 _"Oh fuck yes."_ Levi's voice got distant. _"Hey babe, we're spending the night at Erwins tonight. He's got a fucking pool and we're swim- Eren stop.. Jesus Christ, and you thought I was the sex addict? Fuck.."_

"Everything alright over there?" Erwin sent Armin a quick text message asking if he wanted to come over tonight.

 _"I gotta go Erwin, but we will be there"_ His voice sounded strained. _"See ya"_

"Bye" Erwin hung up the phone and felt his pockets for the microphone, sighing. 

Wow, he just stole something for the first time in his life and it was to help with a drug bust. He didn't know if he should be happy or sad. 

-

The south side was different from the north side in many ways. One, the north side had a lot of money whilst the south side remained poor and didn't have a lot of strict regulations because society gave up on it, as did the police force. One thing the south side was better at doing though, was communicating. 

Word got around fast the well known thug Rivaille Ackerman was back on the south side and with Jean again. Isaac and Jeff were right people to go after in the end, because those guys knew everybody down here. They bought from everyone, all the gangs and stuff, so there shouldn't be one person down south that does not know that Levi is back. 

Now, Jean helped out a little bit with spreading the word. After his and Levi's argument, they had met up without Eren (Levi sent Eren to the hospital to check up on Isabel and Furlan) and did a couple more deals. Levi lead the way mostly, and it was satisfying every single time when someone would recognize him. 

It may have been the most triggering thing, but he knew it was worth it because this would get Reiner to come out of hiding somehow. 

Speaking of Levi and Jean, they had just finished another deal that ended a little roughly. It was someone Levi beat the shit out of years ago during a deal, to defend Jean, of course, but to say the man had a grudge was an under statement. Levi had drawn his knife and put the man in place, only a scratch on Levi's thumb was the sign the man was ever near him. 

He had shoved his knife Jean gave him back in his belt and used a tissue to wipe the blood off of the knife and thumb in the process. "I'd say they all know I'm down here" he spoke first, walking along side Jean back to his car. 

He was trying _so fucking hard_ to keep things professional between the two of them. 

Jean nodded his head as he walked beside his ex lover, "I know, back at the house, everyone wants to see you."

"I don't want to see them" Levi did want to see them, that's the problem. The only one who ever hurt him was Jean, everyone else was so nice to him. They were like his family for so long. 

"Rico asked about cha, so did Eld, and-"

Levi swiftly turned, glaring at up at him. "I said I don't want to see them. This whole thing is between you and me and Reiner, it should not involve anyone else. I don't want to go to the house, I don't want to go to the basement. I don't want to go back. I'll be fucking trapped in there and you know it."

Jean had a careless look on his face, he was oddly relaxed and it didn't sit right with Levi. He decided to change the subject. "How is Isabel doing?" he asked.

Levi scowled. "Eren is at the hospital now and that's where I'm going, if you need me for another deal then call me, but I don't think you need me to ride along with you anymore. They know I'm down here."

"That's true" Jean watched Levi unlock his car, and he raised a brow. "You know.. I had some money stolen from me when you left.. is that how you bought the car."

"Tch" Levi glared at him, "how else do you think I could afford this thing? It was my money anyway, you made me fuck people for it."

Jean was silent for a moment, words heavy on his tongue. "I used you for what you were good for."

"How does it make you feel that Eren's dick is bigger than yours, and he's the best sex I've ever had?" Levi said with a daring tone, "Or that I let him do anything he wants with me. I don't fight him. And you know what the best thing he does is? He asks me consent, every damn time. Something you never did."

"Sounds like a great guy" Jean rolled his eyes, "But he can't give you the thrill or adrenaline rush that I gave you, he doesn't have that spark of adventure like I do, I can see that. You got a city boy, not a street thug. He's probably too scared to get his hands dirty."

"I like everything clean, you know that. You're a thug, a low life who dragged me to hell with you because you didn't want to be alone. I hate you, and I always will." Levi opened his car door and looked at Jean over his shoulder, "which is why we didn't work out. Now kindly fuck off and tell them I don't want to see them, and I don't wish to see you more than I have too." he then got into his car, ignoring the shouting from Jean and started the car, driving towards the hosital. 

-

Back at the hospital, Eren was with Furlan down in the cafeteria. They had decided to eat down there since they've both been in the same room for hours and needed a little change in scenery. Isabel was doing fine, there were no major improvements though, which was something Eren would hate to tell Levi when he gets there. 

They weren't talking to each other for awhile, just silently eating since Furlan hadn't eaten all day. Eren had paid for their food since Furlan didn't have the money, and he didn't have a place to stay either. The place where he was staying at turned out to be Jeans house, Eren had learned, and Isabel and him were supposed to be safe in Levi's safe house but that didn't exactly work out for the two of them.

"You can stay with Levi and I if you wan too" Eren brought up as they ate, "I'm sure his uncle won't mind, they have a basement you can spend the night in, it's clean too."

Furlan gave him a thoughtful look, he wouldn't admit it, but Eren was a nice guy. "that's nice of you, but I wouldn't want to do that, invade on your guys' privacy and all."

Eren shook his head, "no I'm sure Vi wouldn't mind, he loves you, he'd let you stay."

"I'm afraid that if I stay, then Jean may track me down and find out where Levi lives and I can't put him in more danger than he's already in." Furlan sighed as he took another bite of his sandwich, he couldn't impose like that, he had money saved up, and Levi promised him that he would keep himself and Izzy safe, he had to rely on that. They trusted each other.

"Levi can handle himself when it comes to Jean" Eren said a bit forcefully, he hated to admit it but Levi could do just fine without him, and that's why he was here and not with Levi out running some deals. "What he really cares about is you and Izzy, that's why he's doing all this. You don't have to take up my offer now, but if you want too in the near future instead of basically living here in this hospital, don't hesitate to call me." Eren grabbed a pen from his pocket and a napkin, writing down his personal cell phone number and handing it to Furlan.

"Why are you giving me this? I already know Levi's number." Furlan frowned curiously.

Eren sipped his water, "because Levi's busy with his shit with Jean, ya know, and I have my phone on me more than he does."

Furlan couldn't say no to that, so he just nodded his head, agreeing. "Okay, I'll keep it" he said and shoved the napkin in his pocket, making a mental note to save the number into his current burner phone. 

They finished their food awhile later and grabbed some snacks on the way back up to the room, walking in but they both stopped in the entry way when they saw Levi sitting in the chair Furlan normally sat in. He had his arms resting on the bed, head on his arms and holding Isabels hand. His eyelids were opened half way, a frown on his face.

All Furlan and Eren could hear was the heart monitor and small mumbles coming from Levi, and they stayed quiet for a moment. It must have been a rough day for him because he didn't spare a glance at Eren or Furlan once they walked into the room, he just stayed by the bed, not even giving a hello.

Eren had walked to Levi and put a hand on his shoulder, "how was today?" he asked softly.

"Draining" Levi mumbled, breaking his eye contact with Isabels hand and looking up at his lover. "How is she?" he asked, referring to Isabel.

"Not doing any better" Furlan spoke, sitting down on the chair on the other side of the bed. "Doc says she's made no progress, she's healing but it's slowly. Right now the machine might be the only thing keeping her alive.."

Levi's eyes widened at the news and he looked at Furlan, "are you shitting me?"

"The bullet hit right by her heart" Furlan said sadly, he was tired and upset. He has to hear every day from the doctor that Isabel is making little to no progress. "Whoever shot her aimed to kill, and I don't knonw.. maybe they did the job.."

The raven frowned and looked at Isabels pale face and he gripped he hand tight, this couldn't be it. She could not be dying like this.. slowly dying on a hospital bed. She was too young. Furlan was twenty three now but Isabel was only nineteen, same as Levi. She was too young for this.

It dawned on Levi that he left them alone.. and if he wouldn't have left, then maybe, _just maybe,_ things would turn out to be different. He was selfish when he left, he wasn't even thinking about his friends, he just left. He left because he wanted too, but did he need too? No, he should've stayed until Furlan and Isabel could have saved up enough money and left. 

He wasn't dumb, he knew the reason why Furlan and Isabel didn't have the money was because he was the big money maker in Jeans gang, and he would give most of his money to the two of them. After Levi left he heard sales went down, but he didn't even think.. he refused to think.. 

"I should've jumped in front of me.. but I lost so much blood from my arm that I.."

"Don't blame yourself, Furlan" Levi ordered, "It was not your fault she was shot, but right now we can't afford to blame ourselves. The only thing we can do right now is help catch who shot her since the cops won't do shit."

Furlan looked over at his friend, "Are you and Jean any closer to.."

"We got word around that I'm back in town" Levi felt Eren's hand card through his hair, it relaxed him a bit it felt good too. "We've let that information sit for a couple days, tonight Eren and I are going to a friends house because he's a cop and he stole some gear for us to use, and that'll be when things really take a turn so I don't need you showing your face anywhere" he looked Furlan in the eyes. "I'm doing this shit to not only help you two, but to also get Jean and Reiner busted."

"I know, and we're grateful" Furlan gave Levi a soft smile, "thank you for helping us, Rivaille, if there's anything you need..."

"The only thing I need is for you to be safe" Levi said, "okay?"

"Okay"

-

Kenny has had one of the worst days at work imaginable today. He had missed call after call, his truck had a problem so he was an hour late to work today, and his boss chewed his ass out. And not only that, but they were busy as fuck today and Kenny ended up working eleven hours. He was stopping at the store on his way home, the south side store since it was closer. He normally never came to this store, but today he didn't give a fuck and he just wanted to come home. 

He picked up some stuff for dinner, deciding tonight he wanted to cook since he hasn't in awhile. He was walking out of the building and across the parking lot when he walked past someone talking on the phone in their car with the window down, he was talking loud so it wasn't hard to hear them.

"You would not believe who I saw out there today man. Rivaille Ackerman. Yeah, that fucking beast is back, and he's with Jean too. Can you believe that? Fucker should have been shot on the spot after going top side, showing his face here again. I bought from 'em today.. uh hu.. yeah man, I know.. right?.. yeah.."

Kenny drowned out the rest of the conversation but his body froze at the mention of Levi's real name, they couldn't be talking about anyone else. He doesn't know anyone else with the name of Rivaille, his birth name, nobody should know that name. 

And did he hear that right? Jean and Levi's name in the same sentence as drugs? Surely that couldn't be right, Kenny thought to himself as he loaded the groceries into his truck and putting the cart away. Levi is clean off of drugs, and he would never see Jean again on purpose. And Eren was here.. so what the fuck?

He was going to have a very important talk with Levi when he gets home. 

Speaking of home, Eren and Levi were finally getting a break from Jean. They decided to take tonight to focus on themselves because they were spending the night in Erwins house. They had already loaded their bags in Levi's car and were upstairs in Levi's room, playing some video games with the headsets on. 

Levi wasn't actually playing video games, he was sitting on Erens lap and reading a book while Eren had his arms wrapped around the raven, controller in his hands and talking into the head set. Eren said he wanted to finish one last game before leaving for Erwins, so Levi pulled out a book he hasn't read and started it. 

It was peaceful and relaxing, something they both needed. Levi felt like he was going to fall asleep, he constantly had to tilt his reading glasses back up over and over again before he eventually gave up, setting his book down on the bed and cuddling up into Erens chest, resting his head comfortably on his lover and closing his eyes, setting his glasses on his head. 

Eren kissed the top of Levi's forehead as he shifted and held him close, not even surprised Levi was gonna fall asleep against him since Levi loved to sleep. Eren just simply held him close and shouted insults into the headset at the other players, every other word ended up to be fuck and he didn't care. 

Besides Eren hollering insults through the mic, it was peaceful. Levi had fallen asleep against Eren, and Eren didn't bother quieting down since Levi was a heavy sleeper. He kept on playing his game until what seemed like an hour later and he had won the game. He said goodbye to his friends and logged off, setting the controller and head set aside and looked down at Levi, cooing at how the smaller man was curled up on top of him, face buried in Erens neck. "Baby wake up" he shook Levi slightly. 

"No" Levi mumbled.

Eren chuckled, "come on, we have to go to Erwins remember?"

"Done with your game?" Levi asked. 

"yes I am, I won. Come on, let's get our shoes on and go."

Levi just nodded his head and untangled himself from Erens body. Eren got up too and grabbed his phone and phone charger, along with Levi's too and they walked downstairs. They heard rustling in the kitchen and Levi adjusted his glasses and turned, walking towards the kitchen to see Kenny putting away some groceries. "Hey Kenny, Eren and I are going to Erwins tonight. You want me to bring anything home tomorrow?"

Kenny didn't say anything, he just continued to put things away.

That wasn't like Kenny, usually the older man talked Levi's ear off. "Everything okay, old man?" Levi asked, he could feel Eren behind him, a questioning look in his eyes. Levi just shrugged and turned his attention back to his uncle. 

"Rivaille" Kenny said, voice deep and it made Levi tense up. Kenny only got like this when he was in trouble, but what did he do to piss Kenny off? Just this morning they were laughing and chasing each other around the house. Not to mention, since when did Kenny say his real name? 

"What?" Levi cocked his head to the side, "did I piss you off or somethin'? What's up?"

Kenny turned around and stared down at Levi, his entire body tense and radiating a sort of anger Levi hasn't seen in years. Not since his mothers funeral. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Fuck.

"Um.." Levi bit his lip, debating on saying something, but shaking his head instead. "No"

Eren had never seen Kenny angry before, but it reminded him a lot of when Levi found out Eren went though his shit. That was the only time he's ever been frightened by the raven and he would hope he would never see it again, but Levi and Kenny looked alike and he wonders if that's where Levi got his short temper. He stood behind Levi, resting his arm on the ravens shoulder. 

"I heard rumors of you going on the south side again" Kenny said lowly, watching Levi's eyes shift downwards. "And you were with Jean recently, am I hearing correctly?"

Levi said nothing, and that confirmed Kenny's suspicions. 

The taller Ackerman shouted, "what the fuck, Levi! You know damn well what that man did you you! He got you addicted to all this shit and for what? Why the fuck are you seeing him when you have a good guy right next to you!"

That seemed to piss Levi off and he shouted back, "You think I want to be down there? I'm doing this for a reason!"

"And what reason is that, huh?" Kenny waved his arms, "He fucked you up, Levi. What, you on drugs again? Are you fucking using again?"

"No!" Levi wanted to stomp his feet, he couldn't tell Kenny everything and he hates that Kenny even found out. "Kenny-"

"I took care of you during that whole fucking thing and you promised me you would not go back" Kenny took a dangerous step forward, red in the face and it even made Eren cringe. "You're a fucking liar, Levi. How dare you? Do you know how disappointed I am in you? That your mother would be? Maybe even your deadbeat dad would be?"

Levi tensed at the mention of his mother. "Don't bring her up" 

Kenny wanted to laugh, "you dont want me to bring your mother up? you gotta know, she would want to beat the shit out of you for going to Jean. And for you to sell again?? Levi, what the fuck? I thought you were better than this!"

"I'm not doing it for me!" Levi shouted, red in the face as well. He tried to make Kenny understand. "Fucking Christ! I'm not fucking Jean, I'm with Eren, so why the fuck is it your business?!"

"Why the fuck are _you_ letting Levi near that monster?" Kenny pointed towards Eren, anger directed at another target. "What kind of role model are you for him, huh?! You know what that monster did to him and you let Levi near him? What kind of boyfriend are you?!"

"Back the fuck up" Levi growled and stepped in front of Eren, reaching his hand out and putting his hand over Kennys. "You need to calm down, Eren has nothing to do with any of this. It's all me. Leave him out of this, Kenny."

"Your mother would hate you" Whatever filter Kenny had, was gone. "She would've left you with me anyway because she couldn't stand to see you like this. You're disgracing the Ackerman family name. Going back to that monster.." 

Levi stomped his foot on the ground like a child throwing a tantrum, he wanted Kenny to understand. "Fuck you! Fuck you for saying that! Mom would help me instead of yelling at me! Mom would never hate me! She loves me!" he shouted, not missing how Eren's eyes widened at how loud he was shouting. Levi was never this loud, but right now it was needed to prove a point. 

This is how Levi and Kenny worked their shit out, they screamed at each other until it was solved. It was just the Ackerman way. 

"You think I want to be near Jean again after he raped me? Made me fucking kill for him? Made me have sex with people for money? No!" Levi was red in the face. He was shaking from the anger. "Maybe you should fucking check yourself Kenny, I am not your fucking kid, you're only up to a certain authority! Have you not forgotten I'm the one who sent you to rehab! Jean paid for it! Thats why I was with him in the first place! For you!" Tears brimmed in his eyes of frustration. " I had to grow up to fucking quick and I am making my own decisions! You have no right to question them! I'm doing this for a purpose! And if you can't back me up then fuck off-.. fuck!"

A loud smack echoed through the kitchen and a thud hit the ground and time seemed to stop.

Kenny punched Levi's face so hard the raven had fallen back a couple feet back onto the tile, hitting his head in the process. He held his nose and his cheek, feeling the warm blood flow down from his nose onto his lips, dribbling onto his chin. His head ached and he groaned, fuck, his nose might be broken. 

Eren's eyes widened in shock at the fact that Kenny hit Levi and when Kenny realized what he had done his own eyes widened in shock as well. Kenny took a step towards Levi, cringing when he saw Levi flinch away and tears well up in his nephews eyes. "Fuck, Levi, I'm so sorry.."

He tried to take another step but Levi let out a sob and flinched away again, and he was stopped by Eren, standing in front of a crying Levi with an angry look on his face. His teal eyes burning into Kennys, threatening and feral. "I think you've done enough, Kenny. Back up."

"Who are you to tell me-"

"You just hit him, you just hit your nephew.. let that sink in." Eren glared, pointing a finger to Kenny's chest. He used his height to his advantage, "He trusts you with his life and you hit him, sent him to the fucking ground and hes bleeding, for fucks sake. Do you not understand the kind of trauma he's been through? How that will set him back from how far he's come already?" he took a daring step towards Kenny. "You. Have. Done. Enough. Leave us alone."

Between an angry Eren and a sobbing Levi, Kenny decided to nod his head and let Eren handle Levi. It would be better for him to leave, he knew he fucked up and caused Levi stress that he did not need. He sighed and left the kitchen, taking one more glance at his nephew before leaving the house and going to a bar to drink away his problems. He had to get away. 

Once Kenny left the house Eren turned around and went to Levi's side immediately after grabbing a hand towel hanging from the stove. Levi had pushed himself back up against the wall and he held his nose, blood falling over his fingers and down onto his clothes. He had tears leaking down his face and he was trying to process the fact that Kenny had just hit him, sent him flying to the floor. His Kenny, his uncle who always protected him was the one Levi needed protection from. He felt like a kid again with his mothers abusive boyfriend. He had to focus on his breathing or he was going to lose it, but he was getting dirty. He was getting dirty from the blood. He did not like dirt. 

"Hey, hey, hey, hun" Eren tried to wrap his arms around Levi but his heart broke then the raven flinched away, "It's me, it's Eren, come here baby.. you wanna be clean right? Can I clean ya up?" he had to get this mess cleaned up quick before Levi registers the mess he's making. 

Levi let out a sob and nodded his head, uncovering his nose and allowing Eren to cover it with the towel. He flinched, fuck, it hurt. Tears poured out of his eyes and he leeched forward, clinging onto Eren and holding on as tight as he could, like his life depended on it. " _Eren._ " was the only word he could form at the moment, his breathing was picking up quickly and he felt like he was going to pass out. 

Eren didn't care about the blood he was getting on him, he held Levi close and tears welled up into his own eyes as he listened to the heart wrenching sobs his lover let out. "I know, hun" he whispered softly, "I know, I'm here.. it's alright, it's just me, can you breath for me? Come on.. in.. out... in.. out.. you're doing great honey, you're doing amazing. I know it hurts, I think it might be broken but it's okay love, Erwin knows how to fix it, it's alright. Armin will be therer too, just in case."

He felt like things were spinning out of control and he reached his hands up to grab at this hair, pulling slightly. He felt that, it was something he could feel. Levi was light headed. He whimpered into the towel that was held up to his nose, "Erwins, I wanna go to Erwins" he sobbed, choking on air as he spoke and coughed, spitting up some blood that had landed into his mouth. 

"Okay, okay" Eren shushed him gathered Levi in his arms, standing up on shaking legs since Levi felt like almost dead weight in his arms. "We'll go to Erwins. Let go of your hair baby, you don't want to hurt yourself, hun." He kept speaking to Levi as he walked to the front door, he could still feel the wetness of Levi's blood all over his shoulder but he did notice Levi's hands loosen their grip on his hair. "Baby, talk to me, how is your nose, hm? And your head? You hit it pretty hard on that floor."

"It hurts" Levi whimpered, he felt bile rise up in his throat as he was carried outside in the hot summer weather. Fuck no, he hated throwing up. He didn't even throw up when he was hungover. His mind felt cloudy and he whimpered once more, clinging tight onto Eren as he began to sweat bullets. "Eren. Eren. _Eren. Eren!_ "

Eren was just setting Levi in the passengers seat when Levi leaned over, throwing the towel in another direction and threw up onto the ground. His first reaction was to grab the bloodied towel and hold Levi's hair back, trying not to look at the mixture of puke and blood on the ground from Levi's bloody nose that endlessly kept dripping onto the road. He knelt down, whispering sweet nothings into Levi's ear and ignoring the heart wrenching sobs Levi let out as he threw up. 

"Shhh.. you're okay..." Eren felt Levi's forehead, shit, he was hot. Levi's face was red from leaning over and the raven looked like he was going to pass out, so Eren used the other side of the bloody towel to wipe at Levi's face. "Think you can hold it until we get to Erwins?"

Levi looked up to him, blood was smeared around his nose, mouth, and cheek. His nose was swollen and there would be a bruise by morning, not to mention the swelling by the bridge of Levi's nose. Tear tracks leaked down his face, and his skin was red from the lack of oxygen his body was producing. His eyes were blood shot, eyelashes wet and he looked awful. "I don't know" he whimpered out, swiping a finger under his nose to pick up some blood before more fell onto the road.

"Hey.." Eren leaned forward and kissed Levi's forehead, "I'm going to look after ya, okay? It's time for me to keep you safe, you hear me? We're going to Erwin and he'll check you out, and I'm sorry but I can't let you rest. Can you stay awake until we get there to make sure you don't have a concussion, hun?"

The smaller man looked like he was going to pass out from his panic attack but he managed to nod his head, he could feel his stomach churn again and he whimpered, letting out another sob. "I.. I'm gonna puke."

Eren rubbed Levi's back comfortingly, "if you need too, I'm right here just in case you need too. I'm right here, Levi, right here."

Erens comforting words made Levi want to cry more, he did not deserve this sort of treatment. He whined and leaned down again, spitting up onto the ground. He had eaten a lot today and now he regrets it. "Eren.."

"It's alright" Eren kissed Levi's temple, "let it out."

Levi spit up for another couple minutes before finally allowing Eren to hold the towel to his nose to stop the bleeding, and he leaned back so he was now sitting back in the seat. Eren instructed Levi to tilt his back and Levi listened, leaning his head back and holding the towel to his face, which smelled awful. A mixture of iron and throw up. 

Eren shut the door and rounded the car, getting in on the drivers side and starting Levi's car. He put the car in drive and used his GPS to get to Erwins house since for the life of him he couldn't remember where the blondies house was. The entire time he drove he eyed Levi' who stayed awake mostly, but his eyes had began to droop as tears still leaked from them and Eren knew they were not from the pain, it was from the betrayal. His heart hung heavy, Levi simply could not catch a break. 

The drive was supposed to take twenty minutes, but Eren made it there in ten. He was surprised he didn't get pulled over. He spotted the cop car and turned off his GPS, pulling into Erwins driveway right next to the cop car. He parked and turned off Levi's car, looking over. "We're here- oh" Levi had fallen asleep, the bloodied towel had fallen onto his lap and his head was tilted back. "Shit" Eren got out of the car and went to the other side, opening the door and unbuckling Levi. Surprisingly no blood had gotten on the car seat or the seat belt. 

With a little bit of struggle, Eren got Levi out of the car. He held Levi's thighs and shut the door with his foot, he rested the towel on his shoulder and gently placed Levi's face on the towel gently. He carried Levi up to the front door and used his clean hand to knock on the white door and wait for Erwin to answer. 

Erwin was sitting on the couch with his arm around Armin when he finally heard a knock at the door. "They're here" he said and kissed the side of Armins head. Erwin got off the couch and handed his drink to Armin, who took it with a smile and took a drink. He walked up to the front door and opened it with a smile. "Hey-... what the hell?"

His two friends had shown up but not the way he thought they would. There stood Eren, his shirt covered in blood spots and some was smeared on his fingers and wrists. In his arms was Levi, Erwin could only see his friends back but by the look on Erens face he knew there was something wrong. "We need your help"

"Get in here, now" Erwin opened the door wider, "let's go to my spare room, it's upstairs and the second door to the right."

Eren breathed out in relief, "thank you" he followed Erwins direction, walking up the stairs. 

While Eren walked up the stairs, Erwin caught glance of Levi's face that was halfway buried with the towel. The towel was bloodied and Erwin could smell it when he opened the door, and he could see Levi's nose scrunched up on the towel and blood was smeared all over his face. Erwin picked up the scent of throw up and it made his nose wrinkle.

Armin grew concerned from the couch and he stood up, setting the drinks down on the table tray and walking up to Erwin as he shut the door. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Something's wrong with them, Levi got hurt" Erwin spoke, looking down at Armin. "Come on, let's go upstairs."

That shocked Armin, he couldn't imagine Levi getting hurt because the man looked like he would hurt someone else. He nodded his head and followed Erwins larger frame up the stairs, biting his nails nervously. Armin was always a worried person, but he had come to like Eren and Levi and he cared about the both of them. 

Erwin led Armin into the guest room and they both watched Eren lay Levi down on the bed, removing the dirty towel and throwing it in the trash by the bed. They watched Eren sit on the bed by Levi's hip, hand cupping the ravens cheek whilst he slept. They heard him mumble something, but Levi was out cold.

Armin had walked into the room first, his short figure appearing in Erens line of vision. Eren knew Armin, he knew Erwin, but he was wary of letting anyone near Levi right now. He had turned his head, a mean look on his face which would've scared away Armin, but the small blondie was focused on the task at hand. Armin looked back at Erwin, "Grab me a wet wash cloth and some soft wipes, get me your first aide kit. And an ice pack, along with a heating pad."

"You got it, boss" Erwin said with a small smile and he exited the room, grabbing the supplies Armin needed. 

When Erwin left the room, Armin turned back towards the couple. A gentle look crossed his face and he walked up to Eren and Levi, "Hey.. can I take a look?"

Although Eren knew the younger blonde, he was still cautious. He eyed Armin for a moment, before nodding his head and moving over Levi so he was sitting on the other side of his lover. "I think his nose is broken, he took a hard hit to the back of his head too. It hit tile."

"I'll make sure to check that out" Armin said carefully, he sat down on the side of the bed where Eren once sat. He leaned down to get a closer look at the bridge of Levi's nose, reaching out ans touching lightly at the swollen area. After feeling for a moment, he turned to look at Eren. "It's not broken, just a little fractured. He does not need a doctor, all he needs is to ice it for twenty minutes on and twenty minutes off. As for his head, when he wakes up I'll do a couple things with him to see if he has a concussion, since he is already asleep waking him up might be bad because I'm assuming something bad happened."

Eren lowered his gaze to Levi's face, resting his hand on top of Levi's. "His uncle and him got in a fight and Kenny hit him in the face, sent him flying to the ground. He had a panic attack afterwards, throwing up while bleeding from his nose, then he passed out."

Armin nodded, he reached a hand up and felt Levi's forehead. "He's running a fever, when he wakes up you should run him a bath to help him calm down. The last thing he needs with a possible concussion is another panic attack."

"Noted" 

Erwin walked back into the room holding all the supplies. He set all of it on the bed next to Armin, "here you go babe, I think I got everything."

Armin smiled sweetly at him, "thank you."

While Armin grabbed the wet wash cloth and wiped away the blood and vomit on Levi's face, Erwin sat down next to Eren on the bed. "What happened?" he asked.

Eren did not feel like explaining the entire story, so he settled with "Kenny hit Levi in the face and Levi hit his head to hard on the floor he ended up passing out."

"He may or may not have a concussion" Armin said as he continued to clean off Levi's face, using some of the wipes in the process. "Nose is fractured, but I'll fix it to the best of my ability."

"Thank you Armin" Eren ran a hand through his hair, "I really appreciate it."

Armin smiled kindly at him, "It's okay Eren, all I want to do is help."

"While Armin cleans Levi up, Eren and I are going to go get the bags out of the car" Erwin ordered.

Eren figured he didn't have a choice so he stood up and followed Erwin out of the bedroom and down the stairs, out the front door and out to the car. He unlocked Levi's car and popped the trunk, helping Erwin grab their bags. Once they grabbed their bags, both men walked back inside the large house. Before Eren could walk up the stairs, Erwin stopped him. "Tell me what happened" he ordered, it wasn't a question. 

"Kenny found out about what Levi was doing, and it didn't end well" Eren looked down to the ground in shame, "Kenny was so fast. At first they were yelling at each other, then Kenny just decks Levi in the face and he went flying. He took Levi off his feet, I've never seen that happen to him before. Usually it’s Levi sending others to the ground, I kicked Kenny out of the house but.. I feel like I didn't get to Levi in time."

"You did what you could" Erwin said, voice deep and calming. "You brought him here, he's away from everything else and he's here. You did that, Eren, you're taking care of him."

"He had a full on fledged panic attack, throwing up and everything" Eren felt his eyes well up and he looked away from Erwin. "I thought his nose was broken and I know Levi could handle it but.. he's gotten hurt before and he was defending me, and this time he gets hurt and I didn't stop Kenny fast enough before Levi got hit and I.. I want to help but shit keeps happening and-"

"Eren, stop" Erwin calmly spoke, contrast to Erwins shaking voice. "You do what you can, and that's fine. You're good for him, so stop talking like you aren't. He counts on you even though he doesn't act like it. You're a good boyfriend Eren, I can promise you that"

Eren smiled a bit, "thanks Erwin."

"Now come on, let's go upstairs and see how they're doing."

-

Thankfully, Armin got Levi all cleaned up. He bandaged the bridge of Levi's nose and had a heating pad under Levi's neck since they would be sore. He had a cold wash cloth resting on Levi's forehead, and the blankets were pulled up to Levi's collar bone. He had made sure to set a trash can next to the bed while he was at it, and he wanted to make sure to thank his parents for teaching him everything he knows about medical stuff. 

During Levi's long sleep, Erwin had made dinner which was simple grilled cheese and tomato soup along with a smoothie and brought it up to the guest room where Eren refused to leave. They had turned on the TV to watch the new season of Queer Eye that was released on netflix. Eren was sitting on the bed next to Levi while Erwin was laying across on his side, head resting on his hand. Armin was cuddled up against Erwin, resting his head on his arm.

In a way, they were all surrounding Levi. The raven was in the middle of the bed, breathing softly, peacefully. Eren kept glancing at him, he had been asleep for over an hour now with little movement. 

As the three of them watched the show, Levi had begun to move a little bit. He moved his head to the side, causing the wash cloth to fall off his head. All three of their heads turned to look at Levi, and Erwin and Armin cooed as Levi fully turned his body so he was cuddled up flush against Erens hip. He had buried his face into the side of Erens thigh, a soft sound leaving his lips as he fell back into a deep sleep.

Erens face softened and he carded his fingers through Levi's hair, of course Levi would subconsciously seek him out while he slept. He could feel the heat radiating off of Levi's body and was concerned, but he knew Levi was in good hands with himself, Erwin, and Armin. 

"He's very attached to you" Armin pointed out with a smile, "and it seems like his nose doesn't hurt as much as we thought, considering his face is smushed against your thigh like that. It will be healed soon"

"That's good" Eren said, the gentle look never leaving his face. "That's really good."

It was hours later when things really went downhill. The three of them had started to fall asleep and Eren was mostly asleep, his phone had slipped out of his hand and hit the wooden floor, a loud bang in the room. He would've fallen asleep but a hitch of breath stopped him from closing his eyes. 

Levi had woken up to the sound of Erens phone hitting the floor, and this scene oddly looked so familiar. Except this time Levi did not draw his knife, he clung onto Eren tighter as he remembered the events that happened today up to when he passed out. 

Eren snapped awake instantly at the tight grip on his legs, he looked down to see Levi was wide awake not, hand reaching up and holding his head painfully. "Levi, you're awake?"

_"Eren"_

"It's okay baby" Eren jumped into action and helped gather Levi into his arms, "how are you feeling?"

Levi gripped onto Eren, burying his face into his boyfriends neck, ignoring the pain in his face and clinging onto Eren tightly, letting out a small whimper of pain. 

"Oh hun" Eren hugged him tight, heart falling to his stomach when he heard the whimper. "I'm here, it's alright baby"

Erwin and Armin woke up from dozing off, both looking up confused at the noise, but ultimately stayed quiet and watched the scene in front of them. 

A wail rippled through Levi's body and Eren just shushed him, holding him close and whispering sweet nothings into his ear. He buried his face in Levi's jet black hair, smelling the lingering scent of his boyfriends conditioner. He could feel his neck becoming wet and he frowned, "Oh.. Levi.. let it out, I know Kenny scared ya, it's alright.."

Erwin watched with wide eyes as Levi completely broke down. He's never seen his best friend like this and his heart sunk when he saw how normal Eren acted as this happened, which meant Levi had to have broken down in front of Eren before. Armin frowned and he looked between Erwin and his crying best friend, he put a comforting hand on Erwins face. "let them have a moment, come on, let's leave Erwin"

At Armins words, Erwin kissed his head and went to get up, but a quiet call of "Erwin" stopped him. He looked up, seeing Levi looking down at him, clinging onto Eren. His breathing had picked up, distress clearly lingering in the air all coming from Levi, eyes red and wet.

"I won't leave" Erwin said, giving Levi a comforting smile. He saw the concerned look on Erens face, how he held Levi flush against his body, protective arms around him. Erwin kept one arm around Armin and looked back up at Levi. "We're staying here."

"Erwin.."

Erwin sat up at the wavering in Levi's voice, "what is it?"

There was some silence, and Eren raised an eyebrow, rubbing Levi's back. "Hun, what's up?"

Levi felt his stomach churn as stray tears fell from his eyes, "I think I'm going to puke again." 

Armin acted fast and grabbed the trash can, handing it to Levi and instructed Eren to lean Levi over the bed and hold the trash can in front of him. Eren did as he was told and leaned Levi over just in time for Levi to throw up into the trash can. Levi hurled into the bin, leaning all of his weight against Eren as he did so. Eren had an arm wrapped around Levi's waist and his other hand held Levi's bangs back. "Let it out, Vi. Come on" Levi heaved again, "there you go, it's okay Levi.. it's okay.." 

"Armin, do you mind starting a warm bath?" Erwin kissed Armins head, "please?"

"Of course" Armin smiled and nodded his head, always happy to help. He made his way to the bathroom. 

"Thanks Erwin" Eren said, looking over at the large blonde while Levi continued to heave. "I appreciate it."

Erwin sat up, "Why don't you go change into something else, Eren? I can take care of Levi while you do, and I'm sure he would appreciate you being clean. And I'm sure he wants to change into something different."

Before Eren could say no, Levi groaned and peeked up at Eren. "I'm okay, and you smell like blood, it's making me more nauseous than I already am."

"Okay" Eren kissed his head, "okay."

The two of them switched places, Eren went to pick out some clothes and Erwin held onto Levi. Levi groaned and leaned against Erwin, "fuck"

Erwin shushed him softly, pulling Levi onto his lap. "Armin has a bath running for you, let's get you cleaned up."

"I'm sorry for the trouble, Erwin" Levi looked up at him with his butchered face. 

"I'm your best friend, you know I'm here for you no matter what." Erwin rubbed Levi's back, "My home is also yours."

Levi frowned, "I didn't think Kenny ever would..."

"Neither did I, but we shouldn't worry about that right now" Erwin rubbed Levi's arm, "Right now you need to get clean and to take some medicine and sleep, maybe we could invite Hange over for a bit because I know she'd want to know if you're sick."

The raven rolled his eyes but nodded, "yeah, sure."

Armin came back and announced the bath was ready and Erwin swooped Levi up bridal style in his arms. Levi just sighed in relief and rested his head against Erwins chest, closing his eyes and letting himself be carried. He didn't think he had enough strength to walk anyway, and it's not like Levi ever asked for help. Erwin carried him to the bathroom and they were met with Eren laying out some clothes for Levi and other toiletries. He sat Levi down on the counter and Eren immediately went to his boyfriends side. 

Erwin smiled softly at the sight, knowing Levi would be in good hands with him. He put a hand on Erens shoulder, "Armin and I are going to be out back on the deck, and we'll give Hange a call tomorrow because you two are staying over. And after that, you and I need to talk."

Eren looked up at Erwin, locking eyes with him. He nodded his head, "of course, thanks."

And with that, Erwin walked out of the bathroom, leaving Levi and Eren alone. Eren helped Levi undress, putting his dirty clothes on the floor and helping his lover into the tub. He set Levi down gently into the tub, and didn't miss the relaxing look on Levi's face once he was in the warm water. Eren folded up some towels and set them on the ledge of the bath tub, he was about to ask Levi something but he watched as Levi cupped his nose and dunked his face under the water, bringing himself up and slicking his hair back with the water. Eren chuckled, "that feel nice?"

A small smile coated Levi's face and he looked up at Eren, obviously feeling better now that he was in the process of feeling clean again. "It does, it's warm."

Eren grabbed the bottle of shampoo Levi brought with him and squirted some onto his hand, "close your eyes babe, I'm gonna wash your hair."

"Oh, royal treatment, huh?"

"Shut up" Eren was glad Levi was feeling a little better and was joking around a bit. It's been a rough day and it was a relief. He washed Levi's hair with shampoo, and when he was done he rinsed Levi's hair by filling a cup with water, repeating the same thing with the conditioner. When he moved on to washing Levi's body, the raven had laid his head on the folded towels on the ledge of the bath tub and relaxed as he felt the lofa rub against his skin. He just let Eren wash his body, take care of him, something he wasn't used too. It would only be Eren that he would let do this, and he smiled to himself.

"And what are you smiling about, mr hard ass?" Came Erens teasing voice. 

Levi just hummed softly, "You."

Eren rinsed Levi's back, "Me?"

"Yeah, you" Levi looked up at him through his wet eyelashes, the small smile still etched onto his face. "I love you, thank you for being there for me and standing up for my today with Kenny."

"You don't have to thank me for anything, Vi. I'm here for you no matter what, even if you hate me" He chuckled.

"I know this isn't what you had in mind for a summer vacation" Levi sighed, leaning into Erens hand that had cupped his cheek. 

"Baby" Eren stroked Levi's cheek, keeping at bay the worry he had when he felt Levi's skin was hot to the touch, which means the raven still had a fever. "I don't care about that, I care about getting justice for Izzy just like you do. And you know what? I'm here to help with that no matter what, because I love you too."

Levi frowned, "fuck.. Izzy.."

Eren shook his head, "don't worry, I gave Furlan my number today so if he needs something, you can stay asleep. Just relax."

Levi nodded and closed his eyes again, laying his head back on the towels. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, so relax hun. You deserve it."

"..kay.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it feels really werid writing erwin as a police officer in this story due to the commotion right now, but please no hate to erwin, he's a very good cop :)


	31. Same Ol' Mistakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well last chapter was a little.. hefty, lol. But hey, including this chapter, there are only 9 chapters left of this book.  
> crazyyy.  
> also im very tired and this chapter is unedited so im sorry if this is ass but im so tired lol

Just as Erwin promised, as soon as Levi fell asleep upstairs with Armin taking care of him, Eren and Erwin were out on the back deck. It was a beautiful night out tonight, contrast to the chaotic mess that had happened today. The night sky was dark and the stars illuminated in the light. Both Eren and Erwin were sitting at the wooden table, sipping some high priced wine and eating some left overs since they were both starving. Erwin had texted Hange asking if she would come over and when she replied why, he said that Levi had gotten sick and if he knew Hange, which he did, then she would be on her way faster then they could blink. 

Now, Erwin was very protective of the people he held close to his heart. That included a small group of people, like Hange, Levi, Armin, and Eren and Moblit as an extension simply because they were dating his best friends. And in that inner circle he liked to know everything that was going on. Call it his dominant personality, but Erwin liked to be in charge and handle things that his friends could not. It's why he wanted to be a sheriff someday, so he can be in charge of as much as possible without getting a college degree. He would work for it, and he always has. 

It was a cool night and it helped both of them relax while they ate. Armin had said he didn't want to eat anything, and he was busy staying with Levi anyway. While the raven was awake he said he wanted to talk to Levi about some personal things and who were Eren and Erwin to say no? It was one of the reasons why they were down there. Armin was a very sweet guy and Eren knew he could trust Armin with him, and it's not like Erwin would let anyone near an injured friend in his inner circle. 

At the sound of silverware hitting the glass plate, Erwin looked across the table at Eren, who was eating like he was starved. Erwin was sipping at his wine silently, allowing Eren to eat his food for a couple minutes before they began their talk that Erwin was _really_ interested in having. 

Minutes pass and Erwin finally spoke up, "Eren"

Said boy looked up, wiping the food dripping down his chin with a napkin. "huh?"

"Be honest with me" Erwin sipped his wine and raised a thick blonde eyebrow. "This whole thing Levi is planning to do.. you will both be okay, right?"

That was a complicated question that Eren was not sure how to answer. He drew his eyebrows together in confusion, trying to think of a way to sugar coat it but when he found out there was no way to do that he sighed in defeat. "Did Levi ever tell you about a man named Jean?"

Erwin shook his head, "I know of a name, but nothing else."

"I'm not going to tell you his life story because, you know, that's not my story to tell" Eren said and he grabbed his glass of wine, taking a sip of it also. "I respect Levi's privacy, which is why everything I say next will be kept between us only. You do not tell Hange, you don't tell Armin, it's only between you and me."

With a firm nod from Erwin, Eren began. "All I'm going to say is that this whole thing Levi and I are doing is to get an investigation started on the man who shot Isabel Magnolia, one of Levi's closest friends from his past before he went to your school. She is in the hospital right now in a coma with a big chance that she won't make it. Now, we think we know who shot her and Levi is working with some old buddies down on the south side to try and rile him up. Levi is trying to start something big enough to where the cops will be called down, and they will have to respond. This is where you come in."

"Where I come in?"

Eren set his glass down on the table. "You're our way into the police. Thanks for stealing those mics by the way, we'll give them back to you when we finish up with them. I can't tell you some other things about the guys we're working with, but I can tell you that Levi is in safe hands. I won't let anything happen to him."

Another wave of silence. "The argument with Kenny, I assume it was because he found out about the situation?" 

"How did you know?"

"Like I said, I assumed. I'm very observant as well" Erwin leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs over each other. "I understand why you can't tell me everything and I respect that, Eren. It comforts me to know Levi has found someone who loves him that much. I couldn't do that, so I'm glad he found you."

That perked Erens interest. "Why did you two get together, anyway? No offense, but you don't really seem like Levi's type of guy."

Erwin chuckled. "I think we were more of fuck buddies rather than actually in love. We cared about each other, of course, we still do, but I think it was more of a comfort thing. I was at the top of my game back then, all I needed was a significant other and Levi was there. He was a new student, I showed him around, and after he befriended Hange and defended her from the bullies we got together. I saw he had a drive and we worked well together. Of course I fed into his alcohol and drug use though, he never told me he wanted to quit so even though I never told him to stop, it was a silent way of me saying it was okay."

"You know..?"

"That he was addicted to Heroine? Yes. He told Hange and I awhile after we became friends. After we found out we stopped the drug use and parties, but somehow he always finds a way to go back to them." Erwin tapped his glass. "We ended up breaking up because Levi said he wanted to live his own life since he's been held down by people his entire life. It also doesn't help the fact that I cheated on him with Armin."

Erens eyes flashed red for a second, "you cheated on him?"

Erwin rolled his eyes and looked over at the brunette. "We weren't in love with each other anyway, and Levi wasn't bothered by it. He actually said he was relieved to find out I was with Armin because it made leaving me easier"

"That sounds more like him" Eren smiled for the first time tonight as he finished his food. "So.. you won't-"

"Oh Erwin! Eren!" 

There was no mistake on who's obnoxious voice that was and both men cringed, Levi and possibly Armin were trying to sleep upstairs in the guest room. They could hear when she got no answer that she proceeded to walk to the back of the house where she usually found Erwin. She opened the sliding door to the back of the house and smiled brightly when she saw the two boys on the deck, "hey guys! How are ya?!"

"Hi Hange" Eren greeted.

Hange walked onto the deck, she was wearing pajama shorts and a cozy sweatshirt that they could only guess was Moblits. "What's up? Is that wine? Can I have some Erwin?"

He nodded and handed Hange his glass, which she took and gladly sipped down a couple gulps before setting it back down on the table. "So uh.. what happened, exactly? And why are you two out there?"

"Kenny and Levi got into a screaming match at home-"

Hange interrupted, "like they do."

"Wait, so that's normal?" Eren asked.

"Are you two going to let me speak or not?"

Both Hange and Eren got quiet. 

Erwin continued his explanation. "During said screaming match, Kenny lost control and hit Levi. He has a concussion and a fractured nose, Armin is upstairs taking care of him. He's running a high fever and puked quite a bit. I called you because you two are always with each other when you're not feeling good."

Hange had raised an eyebrow in question, "How did their fight get so bad Kenny hit him?"

"I'll have Levi tell you the whole story, but until then.. he's really not feeling the best Hange." Eren looked up at her, "can I count on you to cheer him up?" 

Her eyes flashed a look of empathy that Eren had never seen before, "Of course hun, where are they?"

"They're upstairs in my guest room"

"I'll make sure when you guys see Levi next he will be happy and smiling! Same with precious little baby Armin!" Hange smiled and she turned, leaving the deck and heading inside. 

-

Armin loved taking care of people, it was something he was good at. Both of his parents were doctors, so he learned a lot from them. Taking care of people was one of his passions, which is why he did not hesitate to send Erwin and Eren out of the room to take care of Levi. The raven was freshly bathed and changed into pajamas, Armin changed the bandages on his nose and before Levi could fall asleep again, Armin poked at his shoulder to get his attention. 

Levi did not like being touched, but Armin should be another exception. He was so small and cute, and because he was smaller than Levi, the raven liked him, "What?" he asked peeking one eye open and looking at the blonde.

He was laying on his stomach and leaned up on his elbows, feet swishing behind him like a little kid. His bright eyes shined down on Levi, a look of curiosity showing in them. "So, I have a question.."

"Question about what?" 

"On um.." Armin bit his lip nervously. 

That perked Levi's interest, he raised a thin brow. "Is it something to do with you and Erwin?"

When Armin looked down at the sheets, that got Levi his answer. "So it is" Levi concluded. "Is something the matter with you two? Did he do something? I'll smack the fuck out of him when I'm feeling better"

Armin smiled and looked back at Levi, "no, it's nothing about that. You don't have to beat him up."

"I will."

"I don't doubt it." Armin looked at Levi's bandaged nose, admiring his work. Maybe he should do this for a living. "Um, it's actually about more personal matters.. in um.. in bed.."

Levi put his arms behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. "You want me to help you with your guys' sex life?"

"Y-You don't have too!" Armin spoke up, eyes widening. "I.. I mean, um, I just had some questions a-and you're older and plus you've been with him before and um.. I'm still a virgin, I don't know how to do things but it's been a year and I just.. I wanna give him what he wants."

"Relax, kid. You don't have to give him what he wants. It's all about when you want to lose your virginity, because it's yours." Levi rolled his eyes, "but go ahead, ask away."

He tried to dwindle all if his questions down to a very small amount. "Um.. well.. does it hurt?"

Levi recalled back to when he lost his virginity. Due to it being by force, it hurt like a bitch and it didn't get any easier as time went on. He proceeded to think about his first time with Eren and how magical that night was for him. A small smile ghosted Levi's thin lips, "It burns a little bit, but that's why they invented lube and all that other shit."

Armin nodded, taking mental notes. "I figured. Okay next question.. what does he like?"

"What, like kinks and stuff?" Levi asked.

It took a couple seconds, but a deep blush coated Armins cheeks and he nodded.

To Levi, it felt weird talking to his ex boyfriends current boyfriend about his ex boyfriends kinks. Wow, try saying that ten times fast. He sighed and fluttered his eyes shut, "It's kind of weird if you ask me. Erwin seems like the guy who is into all that kinky shit but he isn't, at least he wasn't that way with me. He likes it vanilla, cliche, full on 'i love you' after finishing and shit like that."

Armin blushed, "O-oh.. I mean, is that good, then?"

The raven shrugged despite now much it hurt his neck, "I mean yeah, I don't prefer it that way. But there's a lot of other things to try out. But don't be nervous to lose your virginity to Erwin, especially not him. He's gentle, and he'll take care of you and he'll help you through it."

"What did you mean by other things?" Armin asked.

"Other kinks" Levi could not believe he was having this conversation, he'd rather have Kenny hit him in the face again. He didn't even talk to Hange about this stuff and they were best friends. "What people enjoy during sex."

"Do you have any ideas?"

Levi chose to deny that. "no."

Armin poked the older mans shoulder, "Leviiii.."

"I'm not telling you about my sex life with Eren" Levi rolled his eyes, because he knew that's what Armin wanted to hear. "and no offense, but especially not to you. I don't even tell Hange."

"Oh come on, I bandaged your nose and everything! I'm taking care of you" Armin whined like a child, "Come ooonnn. Theres' gotta be some reward for bandaging you up. Please?"

The raven sighed softly and traced the bandages on his nose, wincing softly when he felt a little bit of pain come from the bridge of his nose. "There's a lot of shit out there, brat. Some people like it vanilla, like Erwin, and some people like it rough, like Eren and I. Sometimes it involves bondage, I've heard some people like feet but that's disgusting. There's impact play, which is spanking and shit. Then there's role play.. and that one is self explanatory. There is sensation stuff, lingerie, orgasm control/delay/denial. Dominant and submissive. I'm assuming you know what that means"

The entire time Levi was speaking Armin listened intently. He's heard of some of these things by doing research online (not at his home, obviously, his parents would kill him). He thought about doing some of these things with Erwin, some things intrigued him and he was starting to feel awkward talking about this to Levi. But the dark haired man was older than him and had more experience, and who knew Erwin better than his best friend/ex? 

He played with the sheets for a moment, figuring out what to say next, but it looked like Levi had that covered. 

"I can tell you a lot of things kid, but ultimately it's up to you and Erwin on how you want to do all that stuff. But don't be afraid to initiate things, it's like a silent way of consent."

"Is that how you and Eren do things?" Armin asked hesitantly, now moving to lay on his side so his head rested on the pillow, his blonde hair falling in his face. 

Levi gave in. "Yes, it's either him or I that start it but it's always consensual. We know each other like the back of our hands now, so one wrong twitch or whatever, we'll pick up on it and talk about it. I won't tell you about everything we do in bed, but it's always nice with Eren. He takes good care of me and I take good care of him. Just like Erwin will do to you, and hopefully you'll return the favor."

Armin nodded his head, "I understand, thanks Levi."

The raven peeked over at Armin, giving him a soft glance before looking over at the TV. "No problem, kid."

Without any warning, an hour later Hange had busted into the room and took both Armin and Levi by surprise. They were laying side by side almost asleep in the nice warm bed and Hange felt weird intruding in for once in her life, but ultimately she didn't care. She said hello to Armin and after the blonde excused himself to go see Erwin and Eren, Hange made herself comfortable with her best friend. 

It was a different atmosphere that Hange was used too, it was always Levi taking care of her. But this time, she had her arms wrapped around Levi as he slept soundlessly through the night. Before he fell asleep against her chest, she had asked him how he was feeling and that she knew what Kenny did, and all he said was that he felt like shit and wanted to sleep. Hange laughed it off, but she could see the mental tole todays events had taken on her friend and she hugged him tighter. 

She had FaceTimed Moblit after Levi fell asleep and they talked for awhile, Moblit surprised her saying he was coming to California in a couple days to see her. Hange had squealed in excitement, apologizing to Levi who had woken up and sent her a death glare. Once he fell back asleep after saying hi to Moblit, Hange talked to her boyfriend for another hour, making plans on what they were going to do while Moblit was in California. 

Sooner or later there was a knock on the door and Hange looked up to see Eren, a worried look on his face and Hange knew exactly who he came for. She greeted him and told him to come in, offering her spot and Eren accepted. Halfway through shifting positions, Levi had woken up halfway, rubbing his eyes with a fist. "Wha..?"

"Sh" Eren shushed and held Levi close to his chest, kissing his head. "It's me, go back to sleep, hun."

The only response his lover got was a soft nose nuzzling into his neck, and soft snores coming moments later.

Hange smiled at the sight, "he's going to be okay, you know?"

"It's not exactly him I'm worried about" Eren sighed, rubbing Levi's back with one hand and putting his other hand behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. "I mean yeah, I'm worried about him but we both have other things to do. This is just a bump in the road, and when Levi is ready to tell you Hange, I promise he'll tell you everything."

"Why.. why won't you guys tell me anything? Don't you two trust me?"

Eren looked up at her, "of course we do, Hange. But it's not up to me, it's up to Levi. I'll ask him about it, but I'm pretty sure he feels ashamed to talk about it. He hasn't told Erwin, I found out by mistake. But when it's all over, I'll talk to him about it."

That put an easy smile on Hange's face and she accepted it, "Okay, you mind if I stay in here tonight? I don't want to sleep on the couch."

"Course" Eren patted the spot next to him, "make yourself at home."

And that's how they spent their night. Hange, Eren, and Levi spent the night in the guest room while Erwin and Armin slept in Erwins room. 

It was peaceful other than a couple times Levi woke either Hange or Eren up because he felt like he was going to puke, but other than that, it was a peaceful nights sleep. After regaining strength in his body, Levi had followed Hange and Eren downstairs the next morning to eat breakfast with all of his friends. 

Surprisingly, breakfast was lighthearted and happy. Everyone was wide awake and laughing, telling jokes or funny stories. Hange was loud as usual, Erwin made breakfast and it turned out just as good as the food in the diner because he was an amazing cook. He made all the food in the local diner back when he worked there, that's the only reason why the diner stayed afloat. Erwin didn't want to think about how the food went to shit after he left. 

It was comforting, sitting around and casually talking to each other. Throughout the breakfast, Levi's stomach had started to hurt so Eren took him upstairs after he excused the both of them. They made it just in time for Levi to throw up what he just ate into the toilet. While Levi threw up, Eren rummaged through the cabinets and grabbed a thermometer. After wiping the ravens mouth with a wash cloth, Eren took his temperature. They waited for it to beep and once it did, he pulled it out of Levi's mouth. 

"99.8"

Levi groaned and leaned back against the wall, "fuck"

He set the device down and sat down next to Levi so they were shoulder to shoulder, Eren's brown hair fell onto his face, shaggy and needing to be cut. He pulled his kneed to his chest and rested his elbows on them, playing with his fingertips and watching as Levi closed the lid to the toilet. Once Levi leaned back against the wall, Eren broke the silence. "You okay?"

"I'm fine" Levi said hoarsely, "shit sucks."

Eren chuckled, "I know."

Levi looked up at Eren, noticing how tired his lover looked. Eren had bags under his bright green eyes, and a frown etched onto his face. His eyebrows were drawn together like he was thinking about something, and his body language practically screamed _everything is wrong_ and _I'm worried._ Levi couldn't blame him if he was being honest, he didn't look any better. The raven wasn't good at comforting people, especially when it came to other males, but Eren was an exception. 

He was always an exception. 

With some hesitation, Levi leaned his head on Erens shoulder and sighed. His nose was throbbing under neath the bandages and his cheek felt like it was swollen, and he constantly felt like his body was shaking from yesterdays events. Not to mention the burning in his throat. 

Green eyes looked downward onto Levi's frame, eyeing him closely. He was wearing his glasses today, and any other day Eren would be all over him because glasses turned him on, but lately he felt like he didn't want to even touch Levi. That if he did one wrong thing.. 

The thing was, Levi's been touched by unwanted hands before. First it was his mothers boyfriend, then it was Jean, and now it was Kenny. Eren did not want to add his name to the list, he didn't want Levi to think of him that way. 

Levi wasn't stupid, he knew Erens mind was going crazy under that big mop of brown hair. He could feel Eren tense when he laid his head on his shoulder and it angered Levi to the point where he snapped his head up, mirroring an angered cat. "What's up with you?"

That got Erene attention and he turned his head, looking down at Levi. "How are you feeling, baby?" his voice was low and deep, halfway concerned and halfway disconnected with the world. 

For some reason the way Eren sounded didn't rest easy with Levi, or maybe it was the fact that he had just thrown up. Levi shied away from Eren and the younger boy had to do a double take, he's never seen the raven do that before. He turned towards Levi this time, giving him his full attention. "Hey, what's up Vi?"

Said man moved away from Eren, still sitting against the wall. They were about a foot apart now, the only sound in the bathroom was the fan. Levi looked down at the tile, "What's up with _you_?"

"Nothing is wrong with me" Eren shrugged, "I'm more concerned about you."

Levi's frown deepened, "I'm fine, I've had so much worse" he said, voice softening. "You've been distant all morning, are you finally realizing that I'm too much to handle?"

Eren's never heard this from Levi either, since when did Levi have any self doubts? Sure, he's pointed out what he's done but never has he degraded himself. His forehead creased together, "Love, you're never too much for me to handle."

"I'm too much" Levi brought his knees up to his chest, resting his arms on them and then his chin, looking straight ahead at the wall. "Between my past and what's happening right now, maybe my problems are too much for you."

"W.. what are you getting at?" Eren questioned, now raising a brow, his heart began to race. 

"I'm not good for you" Levi's heart ached to admit it, but deep down inside he knew he was right. "I'm a fucking thug, Eren. Hell, even doing those deals with Jean.. I felt at home, I felt good" he rubbed his forehead. "I felt like I belonged and I never fucking hesitated to draw my knife out. I hurt people _again_ and I didn't care.. I'm a danger to you Eren, and to Erwin and Hange, even Armin. I've pushed Kenny to his limits.. Izzy and Furlan trusted me and I left them alone.. I'm a fucking piece of shit." 

Eren shook his head at Levi's words, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. "Don't do what I think you're about to do Levi, don't you dare break up with me." 

Levi's eyes welled up at the words and _fuck_.. when did he become so emotional? He was always such a stoic kind of guy and ever since he met Eren it's been nothing but letting his built up walls down. His lip wobbled and he looked away from Eren, squeezing his eyes shut. 

"You're a good person Levi" Eren spoke softly when he noticed the mood between them changed drastically. He wasn't going to allow this to happen, not after all they have been through and know about each other. "So what, you got caught up in your old ways.. but you haven't touched Heroine, or any other addictive drug. Having Jean around is bringing back a part of you that you never thought you would unleash again, and it's fucking scary. Seeing someone from your past.. it's scary. Remember my bullies that we saw when you came to visit me in Michigan?"

Of course Levi remembered that, he also remembers getting decked in the face by one of those bastards. 

"You stood up to them without caring about what would happen, you stood up for me. They haven't contacted me since, not once on social media or anything because you stood up for me. Remember saving me from that car when I feel off that bridge? You did not hesitate, you went in front of that car and stopped it while catching me when I fell. That is the Levi Ackerman I fell in love with. But you want to know something else?"

Levi sniffled and turned his head to look at Eren, eyes wet and curious. 

Eren smiled softly. "You're brilliant. You're smart. You're strong. You're perfect. You've made mistakes, but haven't we all? I fell in love with you because I saw you Levi, I saw past your facade you put on in front of everyone and I saw your struggle. I knew you had been hurt in the past, but you've come out on top. You're one of the top of your class, your book _and_ street smart, not a lot of people can say the same."

Tears rolled down Levi's pale cheeks and he looked down at the tile again. "I-I.. " he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, clearly not being able to form a sentence. 

"You mean everything to me, Vi.. and let me tell you something." Eren scooted over so he was sitting in front of Levi now, putting a hand on his chin and lifting so their eyes met. He rubbed Levi's tears away with his other hand, "What you went through is awful, one of the worst back stories I ever heard. But everyone, all your friends, Kenny, your mom.. they are all proud of you, especially me. You went from a thug to one of the top of your class. You're one strong motherfucker, Levi."

Levi smiled a bit at that last part, but it didn't stop how upset he felt.. how _heavy_ he felt on the inside. He nuzzled his face into Erens hand, lip wobbling once more. "I feel like if I.. if I keep doing this.. I'll turn into who I used to be" he squeezed his eyes shut, "and I can't do that again Eren, I can't.."

Eren kissed Levi's forehead. "I know sweetheart, I know. But hey, you have me now. You've protected me so many times, but now you have to let me do the same. I'll protect you from Jean, and honestly if I had the smarts like you I could take him down. I will do anything to protect you."

"I won't let Jean touch you-"

"Baby" Eren calmly spoke, "breath for me."

Levi shut his mouth and took a deep breath.

"I know you as Levi Ackerman, a fucking badass who will do anything to protect anybody, even strangers." Eren stroked Levi's cheek, "Rivaille is in the past honey, you're Levi now. Ex thug who now is doing everything he can to protect his friends. You are someone I look up to, Levi."

"Eren.."

"I'm being serious. You are an amazing person. I love the shit out of you, and I will not leave your side because things get bad. When things get bad I am there for you, no matter what."

Levi whimpered, "Eren.."

"Shh.. it's alright baby" Eren leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the raven, who hesitated for a second before returning the favor and hugging him back. "You're safe with me and you always will be. This shit is going to be hard for you, but I'm right by your side if you need to cry or yell, even when you're sick and we're sitting in a bathroom that smells like vomit."

He heard Levi laugh a bit and that put a smile on Erens face. "Point is, I'd do anything for you. So please.. will you let me?"

Levi just shut his eyes and buried his face in Erens neck, huffing out a breath.

Eren got his answer by a nod from his lover. 

-

"Tu ne veux pas te retrouver au coin?" (you don't want to meet up at a corner?) Jean asked into the phone, drinking a beer. He was sitting in his back yard on the deck, watching his fellow friends swimming in his in ground pool and playing with the dogs he had adopted a couple years back. They were having a pool party, most of the gang showed up. The music was blasting loud without a care in the world, they were all having a good time. 

_"Ce sera mieux si nous venons par la maison, je suis fatigué de me retrouver dans des coins où plus de gens peuvent voir Eren et moi."_ (It will be better if we come by the house, I am tired of meeting on corners where more people can see Eren and I.) Levi's voice rang through the phone, he sounded tired, and Jean easily picked up. He knew how the raven sounded when he was exhausted. 

"Rivaille, you just said you didn't want to meet back here" Jean took another swig of his beer and looked around, making sure that no one else could hear what he was saying. 

_"I can't risk Erens life more than I have too. I don't care about seeing the others. Plus I.. I can't go home right now, I'm staying at a friends right now."_

Jean perked up at that, "Tout va bien?"

_"I don't want to talk to you about that. When can Eren and I show up? We have to get this shit done, everyone knows I'm down south now. So let's get this shit on the road."_

"We're having a party right now, think today is a good idea for a grand entrance?" He asked, wiping the beer that dripped down his lips and watched as Rico and Eld wrestled in the pool, laughing their asses off. 

_"Yes. Same house?"_

"Same house."

_"Be there soon."_

Levi hung up the phone and turned to Eren, it's been two days since the whole Kenny thing happened and both boys rested up. Levi's fever went down and they spent time in the gym Erwin had in his home, either working out or Eren learning self defense moves. Besides getting beat up, Eren had fun learning from Levi and seeing his lover in this type of way. Like an instructor. Erwin joined in at some point, even giving Levi himself some pointers. The three of them learned off each other, Armin also put in his own word when he eventually joined them in the gym.

Eren had fun with it, just learning. He never got the chance to learn about self defense or fighting, and even though Levi beat Eren to the ground every single time they sparred, he still had fun. It always ended up in the two of them laughing their asses off. It was nice, they felt free.

But, nothing ever lasts. 

Calling Jean was the first thing on their agenda when Levi got better and Eren got a better idea on how to take someone down, he ended up taking Levi down in their last session. While Levi called Jean, Eren had packed their stuff up in their suit cases and loaded it into the car. He came back inside to see Levi talking with Erwin, the conversation seemed lighthearted, smiles on both of their faces. Erwin pulled the smaller man in for a hug, whispering something in his ear and Levi nodded his head. Eren watched as Levi clung to Erwin tight as the taller man spoke, and when they released from the hug Levi walked over to Eren. 

The blonde man gave Eren a pointed look that made him want to stiffen up. The look on Erwins face was a death glare, eyes hard as blue ice. It could only mean one thing.

_If Levi gets hurt again under your watch, you're a dead man._

Eren locked eyes with Erwin for awhile, but when he felt arms wrap around him and a body flush against his, he wrapped his arms around Levi and kissed the top of his head. He locked eyes with Erwin again, nodding his head as his grip tightened around Levi. 

_I'll look after him, I promise._

With one last goodbye, the couple was out the door and on their way to Jeans. The drive was quiet, Levi's hand was on Erens thigh the entire time, grip tightening once they finally entered the neighborhood where Jean lived. To Erens surprise, it wasn't a terribly bad neighborhood. Sure, it could look better, but most houses looked like Kenny's simple two story home. 

Loud music could be heard throughout the neighborhood and the hand on his thigh tightened, he looked over to see Levi's whole body tense. "Are we close?" he asked.

By the look on Levi's face, he could only imagine they were. 

A couple more houses down and Levi was pulling into the driveway of a dark red two story home. Levi shut the car off and got out, Eren following his lead. Once Levi rounded the car Eren went over to him, grabbing his hand. "Baby, talk to me." he said.

The smaller man would not look at him, his gaze was held on the spot in the front yard. Where Jean had beat him to an almost death that he wanted to welcome years ago. 

"Babe.."

Levi's stormy grey eyes snapped up at him, the gentle Levi that Eren had grown to love was gone. It was self explanatory, he was closer to his past than ever. Eren knew Levi spent most of his time here, and most memories were awful. "What?" he snapped.

Eren frowned, "don't get angry with me, I didn't do anything"

Levi growled.

"I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do"

"Then let's go." 

Levi swiftly turned around at that and led Eren to the front door. He got beat up in this yard. He was thrown down these stairs, he's thrown people down these stairs. And this deck.. this fence.. he could still see some blood stains. His blood stains.

..Morcos blood stains. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Eren. "You okay?" he heard Erens voice say, and all Levi could do was nod. "Follow my lead, and uh.. please.. whatever happens in here, don't say shit."

Eren nodded.

Levi turned back to the door and he didn't even bother knocking on it, this was once his home for a couple years. He grabbed the door handle and opened the screen door, then the front door. He took a step inside, Eren following right behind. 

It was just how he remembered it. The couch was still in the middle of the living room, the huge TV was hung on the wall, the pictures hanging on the walls, some still had Levi in them, which surprised him a bit. Everything was still in place, the hardwood floor was clean as ever and the white walls were spotless, they must have painted over it within the last year. 

Nobody was inside the house, not that they could see. Levi took a deep breath and decided to follow the music, a little shake in his step as they did. He was beyond nervous on being back here, where he was once so comfortable but now so scared. Levi wasn't scared, he was never scared..

But Rivaille was, that would bite him in the ass eventually. 

Eren followed close behind Levi and that provided both of them some comfort. Eren was surprised to see how nice the house was, he expected it to look like shit with all the stories Levi told but he guesses that Jean made enough money that he had a bigger house. He wonders how much money Jean had packed away somewhere, maybe they could take it. 

Distracted, he was getting distracted. This was not the time. 

They walked through the living room and into the kitchen, which was also empty. Eren didn't bother looking around at scenery though, he was too busy looking at Levi and watching his body language as they made their way through the house. In a weird way, it felt calming to keep an eye on him. 

Yeah, that sounded maybe too weird for Erens liking. 

Levi walked to the back door and grabbed the handle, opening it and his breath hitched at the scene before him. 

It was... it was everyone. Most of the gang was back here. In Jeans back yard he had a huge tinted deck wrapped around a spotless in ground pool. Behind the big diving board was a shed that Levi knew for a fact had a couple four wheelers. There were people littered around the yard, in the pool, and on the deck. There were some hammocks, and alcohol was ever. The only smell in the air was weed, and Levi knew there had to be other drugs here and he had to fight with himself not to do any of them, even if that means fitting in. 

"I have to act like one of them" Levi whispered, "don't get mad at me for anything I do or say.. please"

"I promise babe" Eren whispered back, "love you."

"Love you too."

In that moment, Jean had turned around from where he was talking with someone on the hammock. He looked towards the door and his eyes locked with Levi's a smirk on his face. His eyes were red rimmed and his cheeks were red and yeah.. he was fucking gone. "Rivaille!" he shouted, catching everyones attention. 

Suddenly everyones head spun around to see Levi and Eren standing there. They didn't know who the tall boy was, but..

"Rivaille?" Someone's voice spoke over the music and Levi knew exactly who that was. She stood up from the bench, hair tied back in a pony tail and in a black bikini that shaped her curves. She looked the exact same. "Is that really you? You've come back?"

"Rico" Levi's voice had changed and Eren knew this was all an act, he tried his best not to get mad. "Bring it in baby, Rivaille Ackerman is back."

Cheers rang through the back yard and Rico ran up, wrapping her arms around Levi in a big hug. Levi chuckled and hugged her tight, keeping an arm around her waist and grabbing at Erens shirt, dragging him along into the party. He was sucked into a crowd, smiling brightly as he greeted his old gang members. Eld was here, so was Gunter, Olou, Petra, Thomas, Louis.. everyone. This was his family, people he trusted with his life. He was brought a beer and talked with his friends, steering clear of any offer of drugs.

"Where the hell have you been, man?" Eld smacked him in the head playfully. "Jean said you went top side, why the hell you here?"

Levi raised a brow, "I thought I told you to respect the people who train you, Eld. Or should I teach you a lesson one more time for disrespecting the most well known dealer down here?"

The gang went quiet for a moment, some taking Levi's threat seriously and others playing along with the joke.

Eren listened in on that too, Levi trained some people here? To become like him and Jean?

Eld watched Levi closely, he's changed a lot. His height didn't, neither did his hair, same undercut and everything. He had that same dominating aura to him, same glare on his face he supported whenever he ordered them to do something. He radiated a certain dominance that Jean could never muster even if he tried. 

Before long though, Eld just laughed it off. "You haven't changed man, we missed you."

"Bet you did you fucker, now get me some fucking shots."

Now, Eren loved to party but damn.. this was.. nothing like a club. 

More like a backyard hang out, these people didn't seem evil like Eren thought they would be. He watched Levi interact with his old gang members like the past year and a half didn't happen. Eren watched as Levi touched all of them, a little too close for Erens liking. He wanted to stomp over there and rip Rico's arm off of Levi's waist but he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, he looked to his side to see Jean there with black swim trunks on and nothing else. Wounds and scars littering his body. 

"Beer?" Jean asked, handing an extra one to Eren.

Eren took it and popped the cap, throwing it to the ground and taking a sip of it, the bitter taste trailing down his throat.

"A thank you would be nice" Jean smirked down at Eren, he was an easy 6'4" in height. 

"Why would I ever thank you" Eren spat, taking another sip and keeping his eye on Levi, who was now laughing and jumping on another guys's shoulders and downing a drink. It was odd how comfortable Levi looked here, yet so on edge at the same time. 

Jean looked over at Levi as well, "This is like a second home to him, most of the time it was shit, but he cares about them. Let him have some fun."

Eren frowned and looked up at Jean, raising an eyebrow. "Levi said they were like family to him."

"They are, I was more of his warden rather than a boyfriend" Jean watched Levi push his friends into the pool, laughing and smiling like there was no tomorrow. Levi always liked being in the back yard, especially in the pool. That's where he would go whenever him and Jean used to fight, which was almost every day back then. It's crazy to see how much has changed. He looked at Eren. The guy was ripped, skin tan and clean, hair healthy and a shiny brown, not a blemish to his face. He looked smart, like a perfect city man. 

"I don't know why you're talking to me." Eren grumbled, looking at Jean at the corner of his eye. "I hate you and you hate me. We're only here for his sake" he nodded towards his lover, who was now arm wrestling with another one of the guys down there. "When we bust Reiner, Levi and I are out of here. Hopefully neither of us will ever see you again, because you're a fucking monster."

"Hm." He looked where Eren was looking. "You're good for him, Eren. But while he's here, you need to back the fuck off."

Eren turned to face Jean, frown deeply etched on his face, a feral look in his bright green eyes. "The fuck are you talking about."

"I told everyone here that Rivaille went top side, and under gang laws, he should be shot and killed. The only thing keeping him from that fate is me. I need the gang to believe that we're still close, and in order to do that, you will have to be more distant." Jean explained, rolling his eyes at the glare Eren provided. "Don't give me that look, Levi knows it too. Notice how he abandoned you the moment Rico recognized you? He knows the gang laws, as should you."

"Fuck you" Eren spat at him, "fuck that, fuck-"

Jean interrupted Erens oncoming tantrum. "Would you calm down? Rivaille has chosen you over me, he's made that clear. But he's aware of how things work around here. Because he cares about you, I have to give a damn about you no matter how much I want to fucking kill you" he took a swig of his beer. "But if I kill you, I won't catch Reiner. As soon as that asshole is killed, you and your lover boy are free reign."

"I'd like to see you try" Eren sneered.

"Oh, you will."

-

As the night went on, people had made themselves at home. Everyone eventually went inside, sitting at the dining room table, crowding the kitchen and sitting at the extra table sat up. There were at least forty people here, most of Jeans gang, once Levi _and_ Jeans gang. Levi was sitting on the counter of the bar counter top that swung out, feet dangling. Jean was standing next to him on one side, arm resting on the ravens thigh and on the other side was Eren, watching Jeans every move and impressed by Levi's self control. 

He could see it, the anger behind the rosy cheeks his boyfriend supported. Every time Jean rested against him, inched his arm higher, or gave him a smirk Levi would grip at the counter so tight he felt like his fingers would break. Eren wished he could give Levi the comfort he needed, to cradle him and tell him everything was okay, but he couldn't right now. 

Right now they were to act as family, not boyfriends. Jean had made that clear and no matter how much Eren hated to admit it, the monster was right. 

One thing Eren did notice though, was how easy Levi fits in with these people. It's like another side of Levi has hasn't seen, and if it wasn't for Jean being here, then maybe he could see this Levi more. He had to resist grabbing Levi's hand when he noticed Jean inching up higher on his thigh, he scowled and took another swing of beer.

"Hey, what happened to your face" Jean looked down at Levi, "and since when do you wear glasses?"

Levi took a drink of his beer, "it's the reason why I'm not going home."

Rico looked up from where she was playing cards, "you can always stay here Rivaille, and that hottie next to ya can too."

"This hottie has a name" Eren spoke up, "my name is Eren."

"Well Eren." Another woman turned around, she had dark red hair down to her mid back and was still only wearing a bikini, cigar between her dark lips. "I wish to be acquainted"

That started off a conversation with some gang members and Eren was brought into the circle, playing cards with some of them. While Eren conversed with everyone and showed them up in cards, Levi and Jean snuck away into another room because apparently the older man wanted to talk. Levi refused to go upstairs, so they were in the living room, sitting on the couch together. 

Just like old times. 

Carrying on their conversation from earlier, Jean turned to look at his ex, once his prize. "Are you going to answer my question?" he asked.

Levi sat there a moment before sighing, setting his beer on the coffee table and leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees. "Kenny."

That.. that surprised Jean, and Jean was never surprised. "Your uncle? The one I sent to rehab?"

"Yeah" Levi sighed, "he found out what I was doing down here and freaked, sent me to the ground. If Eren wasn't there.. I don't know what he would have done."

"Wow, out of all people taking a swing at you, the last person I thought would be your uncle." Jean said, chuckling. "And since when do you let people hit you, and leave a mark on your pretty little face?"

"You did."

Tension filled the gap of silence between them and Jean felt like a deer caught in headlights, he moved past all that shit but Levi had not, and that was obvious. He looked over Levi, how.. small he looked. Different from the dangerous man he once knew. "I fucked it up with you Levi, I did. I beat you you to hell, took your innocence, made you kill for my benefit." he sighed and tapped his fingers on his beer bottle that was almost empty. "And with Marco I.. that was out of pure anger. I'm sorry."

Levi looked at him, a stone cold look on his face. "Sorry won't bring them back." he gritted. 

Jean looked down a the ground, "I know.. nothing I say or do will change that."

"You killed my best friend" Levi clenched his fists together, "in front of me.. he was innocent Jean.. "

"I know, Rivaille-"

"It's Levi. Just Levi."

Jean nodded, "Levi. I'm sorry for everything that I did to you, for the rapes.. the murders.. almost killing you. I trained you to be a killer Levi, and you're a damn good one but you shouldn't have been. You were a kid.."

"Stop talking" Levi grew nauseous, his stomach had started to churn. Fuck, he shouldn't have drank anything. 

"I know it's not my place" Jean spoke up, "but you don't look good Levi, are you sick?"

"I'm going to puke" Levi stood up, taking a step back when he stood up to fast. "Barthroom. Jean. If you want to make things right so bad, take me to the bathroom."

Jean knew there wasn't a chance in hell that Levi would ever forgive him, but he knew of the everlasting bubble of anxiety Levi possessed. He knew because he dealt with it for years, it happened every time Levi killed someone or he would be beaten by Jeans hands, or taken advantage of. He set his beer down on the table and picked Levi up bridal style, not surprised when Levi didn't cling to him and become dead weight. He ran up the stairs and to the bathroom, putting Levi down and cringing when Levi threw up into the toilet. "Just like old times, huh?"

Levi spit up and glared at Jean with unamused eyes.

"Want me to get Eren?" Jean asked, leaning against the door frame. 

"We have to take Reiner down, and fast" Levi coughed, "because as soon as we find him, I'll do to you what I want to do to him."

"Big talk coming from the boy with his head in the toilet." Jean teased. Yeah, kind of like old times. 

The raven sighed and wiped his mouth, using the wall to stand up. "Those sheets, the drug records that Reiner has. We have to get them to know where he is going to be. Which means we have to break into his home."

Jean quirked an eyebrow, "We?"

"Yes, we, dumbass" Levi scowled and went to the sink, grabbing the mouth wash. "What's the plan, hm?" he asked and downed some mouth wash, swishing it around.

"Break into his home and take them" Jean said simply, "you will need to come with me, I'll send some members out to distract everyone on his end so he won't be home. When we get his shit, we meet him there and take that fucker down."

Levi spit the mouth wash into the sink and dried his mouth with a near by towel. "Make sure its a heavy deal, then we'll go after him. You'll get the drugs out of it."

Jean smiled, "smart."

"Now go get Eren" Levi rubbed his forehead, "I don't want your company anymore."

Jean pulled Eren from his card game saying Levi needed him and without a second thought the brunette followed Jeans directions and went upstairs to the bathroom where Levi was, the moment he walked in Levi threw himself into Erens arms. Eren wrapped his arms around Levi and held him close, rubbing his back. "Jean told me you got sick" he felt Levi's forehead, "you aren't warm, what's bugging you?"

Levi sighed into Erens neck as he felt Erens nails softly scratch his back, "Jean and I are breaking into Reiners home to steal the drug sheets. After that we surprise Reiner at one of his deals with a big load and we bust him. With Erwin, plus the police. Big drug bust. Eren, I'm tired" 

Eren raised a brow at the way Levi was acting, "hey.. alright I hear you, I hear your plan. I can come with you?"

"No, too dangerous. I know these streets, I know how to do everything. I can't lose you" Levi hugged him tighter, "You can go see Izzy and Furlan tomorrow at the hospital, take care of them. I'll contact you when Jean and I finish."

"Where are we going to sleep?" Eren asked gently, kissing Levi's head. 

"We could go back home, avoid Kenny at all costs, or maybe Hange, maybe Erwin" Levi spoke, his voice muffled by Erens clothes. Fuck, he was drunk. "I don't feel safe here, I want to leave."

"We'll leave" Eren comforted, "it's alright, here, get on my back, you're a little too drunk to be walking down these stairs."

Levi wouldn't object to that so he gladly got on his lovers back, allowing himself to be carried down the stairs. 

Once they reached downstairs, Eren got everyones attention by saying they were leaving. Jean made up an excuse saying Levi's alcohol tolerance sucked and Eren would be taking Levi home, he also made an excuse saying the two of them were related. Cousins, and it made Eren want to puke.

He wished he could tell everyone him and Levi were together, but he understood why. 

After waving goodbye to Levi's friends, they went home. The drive was an easy half an hour before Eren parked Levi's car, both of them getting out and sneaking inside to Levi's room. Eren had carried their bags and set them down, breathing out a sigh of relief when he finally dropped them and turned to say a cheesy joke to Levi but he chuckled when he saw Levi had already fallen asleep on the bed. He couldn't blame Levi though, it's been a rough couple of days.

He changed into a pair of pajamas and got into bed with Levi, making sure to turn both of their phones off so they could get a decent amount of sleep. Eren yawned and closed his eyes, immediately falling into a deep sleep, resting up for the next couple days to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i also got tested for covid today and it was awful  
> 0/10


	32. The Thrill Of It All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sometimes you have to do what you gotta do.. insert posessive eren yeager.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eight more chapters and this baby is done man, that shit is crazy  
> i only wrote this book because i was bored during quarentine lmao

"You mean to tell me that not only is Rivaille on the south side, but that he's dealing with Jean again?" Reiners voice boomed as he walked downstairs, an angry Bertholt behind him.

Bertholt bit back, "That's what word going around is, he was seen with Jean and has been dealing. It's why we've lost some customers, and you won't be able to pay for this big house you decided to buy on a whim if we lose customers, Reiner. Send more people out, take Jeans customers back."

Reiner wasn't stupid, he was actually really smart. However, he didn't have as many people in his circle like Jean and Levi did. The last memory he has of Levi was when the fucker tried to score a deal with him but Reiner saw right past his act. Fuck, he regrets not killing the cockroach. "I thought he went top side, why the hell is he back?"

"If you would have killed him back then, we wouldn't be in this situation right now because he's back. That's why our sales have gone down." Bertholt glared at his childhood friend, "we have people to look after Reiner, people we took in to give a home. If we can't afford this place, they will all be on the streets again. We just got them out.."

"I know, dammit!" Reiner ran a hand through his short blonde hair, "I know, shut the fuck up."

Berthold sighed and walked to the kitchen to get something to eat. "You shouldn't have gone after Isabel or Furlan.. without Rivaille it woudn't be a problem.. but since he's back, he's going to go after you. After us. You've put all of us in danger, Reiner. All of us."

He frowned, "I'll keep us safe, I promise bro. It will all work out."

"Then increase the amount of deals we do, send all of us out. We'll ring in enough money before Jean and Rivaille can find us."

".. Okay."

-

Levi popped off of Erens dick, wiping the line of spit from his lips to the now softening cock in front of his face. His eyes were wet, face red and he was out of breath. He could vaguely feel the hand that gripped his hair and he leaned forward, coughing a bit and leaning his head on Erens hip, closing his eyes and catching his breath. He was kneeling on his knees for god knows how long, hands clamped behind his back like Eren instructed him too, and his knees _hurt_.

Eren was standing, boxers pulled down and dick spring out. His hand remained in Levi's hair and he had his head tilted back, recovering from his orgasm in a post bliss. His breaths were heavy and body was full of sweat, he had just came out of the shower and was welcomed by Levi on his knees and another one of the best blowjobs he's ever had. 

He carded his fingers through Levi's hair one he caught his breath and looked downwards, smiling softly when he heard Levi cough. "What? Too much for ya this time?"

At the sound of Erens deep voice, Levi looked up at Eren, resting his chin on his prominent hip bone. "No" his voice came out scratchy, but no surprise, Eren had his cock in his mouth for what seemed like ever. 

"Course not, you're a slut for blow jobs" Eren chuckled and ruffled Levi's hair, trailing his finger down to wipe off a drip of cum from Levi's lips. The raven opened his mouth and sucked it off of Erens finger, swallowing the salty drop. Eren groaned at the sight, pressing his thumb against Levi's plump and swollen bottom lip, dragging it across. "You're a sight, Vi."

Levi licked a strip on Erens finger and sighed, a content smile on his face. "Mm, love you."

"Let's get you up, here" he held out his hand and Levi took it, standing up on wobbling knees. Eren laughed and tucked his dick back into his boxers with his free hand, pressing a kiss to Levi's forehead. "Your knees okay?"

"Fine" Levi said and leaned into the kiss, "I'm going to brush my teeth."

Eren cupped Levi's cheek, "Course, I'll wait in bed for ya."

For a second, everything seemed normal, like the outer drama wasn't going on. It was nice, they spend the next day to themselves after Levi had a very.. vulgar conversation with Jean earlier this morning that had him in hysterics. Well, more like.. angry, but Eren knew how to deal with it. 

"va te faire foutre, va te faire foutre, et va te faire foutre!" (fuck you, fuck you, and fuck you!) Levi shouted into the phone and threw it to the side, almost hitting Eren, who was sitting on the bed reading a book he grabbed on Levi's shelf when his lover answered a phone call, and he could only assume it was Jean. 

The conversation started out nice and easy but something had made the raven angry enough to shout, not giving a damn if his uncle was home. Speaking of Kenny, him and Levi had not spoken since Levi came back to the house. They avoided each other to the best of their ability, and whenever they saw each other Kenny felt a pang in his chest whenever he saw the marks he left on Levi. He tried to make conversation with his nephew, but both Levi and Eren would stare him down till he turned away and did something else. 

When Levi threw the phone, Eren looked up from the book he was reading to see Levi absolutely fuming. He's seen Levi like this before, where the raven felt like things were out of his control and Eren knew it drove the man mad. He closed the book and stood up, setting it down on the bed and taking a step towards Levi. "Talk to me Vi, what did he say?"

"Putain de salaud" (Fucking bastard) Levi crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at the floor. 

"English please" 

Levi glared, "he's an idiot, but a fucking smart idiot. He's sending dealers out tomorrow to draw Reiner out as fake customers, paying some of them off too. We raid Reiners house tomorrow when he's drawn out, and while we do that.. I'm having Eld go with you to the hospital to make sure you're safe. He's going to bring Furlan his things too, but I.. I need you safe, and you can trust Eld. He was my right hand man like I was to Jean, and he won't hesitate to do anything I ask of him."

Eren nodded in understanding, "course, whatever you need me to do, I got you."

"Good." Levi huffed, running a hand through his hair. "Good.."

"Now, let's.. since we're spending today together.. how about we release some of that anger" Eren put his hand on the back of Levi's neck and tangled his fingers in the black locks, tugging so Levi was looking upwards at him, a scowl on his face. "Wipe that glare off your face, Vi, you know you wan it too" Eren peeked down at Levi's crotch, seeing the growing tent in his boxers since the raven was wearing only those and one of Erens shirts. He smirked at Levi, "want me to take care of you?"

Levi whimpered, wincing at the grip in his hair. "Yes."

"On the bed" Eren let go of Levi's hair, "now."

That was earlier, and after Levi finished brushing his teeth he joined Eren on the bed. He was only in boxers and Erens shirt once again, but this time he was flush into Erens side, tired out from having sex almost all day. He sighed in relief when Eren held him tight, carding his fingers through Levi's hair and kissing his head. "Sleep baby, we got a big day tomorrow." 

Levi sighed and nodded, welcoming the oncoming sleep.

-

The next morning Eren had called his mom and dad while Levi slept in, also facetiming Mikasa and Annie while texting all of his friends back. He apologized for not communicating with them for the last couple days, saying he was too busy enjoying the hot California sun. He would never tell them what was going on. Once Levi woke up he hung up the phone and they proceeded to get ready for the day, walking downstairs and Levi grabbed his car keys from the key rack. Before they left they hooked up the mics that Erwin stole for them, they were mainly for communication wise anyway. They needed to keep in contact with each other, partially because Eren wanted to keep an ear out for Levi. He opened the front door to reveal Kenny, who was in the process of typing in the pass code when the door opened in front of him. 

Kenny looked down at Levi. His nephews nose wasn't bandaged anymore, and the bruise on his cheek healed, but there was still a nasty red mark on the side of his nose by his eye. Kenny cringed, "Hey Levi- umph!"

Levi had shoved Kenny with his shoulder as he angrily made his way to his car, keys tight in his hand and not looking back.

With a sigh, Kenny looked back at Eren. "Ah.. he uh.. hasn't forgiven me, has he?"

"Neither have I" Eren glared and walked past him, leaving the door open. "Bye Kenny"

Kenny walked inside and Levi and Eren went on their way. The drive was silent like usual, both boys had their sunglasses on and Eren was wearing a snapback. The radio was on at a low volume and Levi's hand rested against Erens thigh the entire drive. Eren played some games on his phone, eventually putting it away and leaning over, resting his head on Levi's shoulder and shutting his eyes.

Driving faster than the set speed limit, they finally arrived at Jeans home. It looked like no one else was here, which was good, considering everyone was supposed to be out catching deals. He shut the car off and woke Eren up from his little nap. After registering where he was, both Levi and Eren exited the car and walked to the front door. Once again, Levi didn't knock, he just walked inside with Eren right on his tail. 

Inside was Jean and Eld sitting on the couch and watching TV, and when the two boys walked in they looked up. "Hey Rivaille" Eld greeted with a smile.

"Hey fuck head" Levi fist bumped him and looked towards Jean, "You ready to go?"

"Well, you don't waste any time do you?" Jean looked up at Levi from the couch with a teasing smirk, eyeing Levi up and down. 

Eren glared down at Jean, wrapping his arm around Levi's slim waist and pulling the raven into his arms. "Fuck off"

Eld raised a brow, finally putting the pieces together. It should have been obvious from two days ago, and now he felt dumb. Why would Levi ever go back to Jean after everything that happened? "You two are...?"

"He's my boyfriend" Levi finished for him and handed Eren his set of keys. "But, you don't tell anyone else. As far as the others are concerned, he's my cousin who's visiting from Michigan. Got it?"

"yeah, got it" Eld stood up and brushed the crumbs off his lap, "well, Eren, you ready to go visit Furlan and Izzy?"

Said man nodded and before Levi could pull away from Erens tight grip, he was spun around. He was about to snap at Eren and tell him to get off but then a pair of lips covered his own and he hummed softly, fluttering his eyes shut. 

Eren locked eyes with Jean as he kissed Levi. A challenge. He grabbed Levi's hips tight, causing a moan to erupt from the ravens lips. 

Jean huffed and rolled his eyes, but he never took his eyes off the two of them. He couldn't ignore the pit of jealousy rising in his stomach at the way Eren touched Levi and before he did something that he would regret, something that could cause their entire plan to go up in flames, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked away.

Eld had to hold in his laugh at the sudden display of affection, looking down at his feet. It looked like Jean was getting what he deserved. 

Levi pulled away and turned around, lips now red and swollen and an eyebrow raised as he faced Jean, a smirk on his lips. "Jean, you ready to go?"

"Yeah" Jean grabbed his phone and shoved it in his pocket, glaring at Eren as he did so. "Let's go"

"Bye babe" Eren kissed the top of Levi's head, not missing the flick of anger in Jeans eyes as he did so. Eren turned and followed Eld out of the house, grabbing the wired mic that was clipped onto the inside of his shirt. "Babe, you can hear me right? These things work?" he whispered into the mic.

Levi's voice came into the clear ear piece, nice and loud. _"I can, but I won't have my ear piece, Jean will notice it. So you can hear me but I can't hear you."_

Eren shoved the mic back into his shirt and got into Levi's car with Eld, starting it and driving to the hospital. 

After Eren and Eld left the house, Jean and Levi were down in the basement preparing to raid Reiners home. Jean got a text from Gunter saying that the house was clear and Reiner was out on a deal right now, so they had to hurry up or they might lose their only chance. Jean was strapping a knife to his belt along with another in his belt, and a lock pic in his pocket. Levi was behind him at another cabinet that he knew so well, it was his own at one point. Levi grabbed his gun and his own couple weapons, hiding them under his clothes like he was trained too. 

"You gotta know how weird this is for you to be back here, right?" Jean asked, it was only the two of them down here.

Levi closed the cabinet. "It's going too not gonna" he rolled his eyes and turned around, "and do we have a getaway car or did you not think this through? Last time I was in Reiners home I didn't have a car because _somebody_ forgot"

"Yee of so little faith" Jean shut his cabinet as well and turned to face Levi. "If we need a getaway car we got Petra, she's down the road from Reiners on a deal."

"Tch" Levi led Jean up the stairs, "let's get this shit over with."

They left the house after that, sneaking through the yards and behind other houses so nobody would see them. Reiners gang was supposed to be nowhere to be seen on this side of town, but you could never be too sure. Both boys had sunglasses on and were wearing all black, since it was evening, almost sunset, they were sure they wouldn't be seen. Levi kept his distance and made sure that his mic was on, he disregarded the ear piece a long time ago in his pocket. 

Jean hopped a fence and held a hand out to help Levi over, but all Levi did was smack his hand away and jump over the fence by himself. He brushed his pants and walked in front of Jean, a frown on his face. The older man rolled his eyes, "Fucking disrespectful ass.."

"Don't talk to me about disrespectful" Levi growled, "focus on the mission, fuck off with your emotional bullshit. I've had enough."

"Hm" Jean walked next to Levi so they were side by side, "You've certainly grown some balls, haven't you? Eren help you with that?"

"No, trauma did" Levi looked straight ahead. "But he certainly kept me from killing you on the spot."

"I doubt you could"

"I don't know Jean.. a lot has changed in the past year and a half." Levi's deep voice rattled his bones, "Who knows, maybe our roles will be reversed."

The rest of the way to Reiners was silent, Levi's threat still hanging in the air between the two of them. It's not like Jean was worried or threatened by the younger man, but he knew if him and Eren were to get into it.. if Levi felt so threatened by Jean to send Eren after him, then that could be an issue. Eren was very possessive of Levi, that much was obvious from the first time Jean met him. It's only been a couple days, but only an idiot would try and square up with the green eyed man. Jean was strong, but Eren could possibly have an upper hand. 

As the sun set, Levi and Jean arrived to Reiners house. Jean led Levi to the back of the house and Levi was sticking close to him. They rounded the house and came to the back door, Jean took out his lock pic and knelt down, level with the door knob. He began to pick the lock and Levi huffed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking around while Jean picked the lock. "You're fucking slow."

"Would you shut the hell up" Jean grumbled, "we're working together, you should be nice to me."

"I'll kill you where you stand" Levi growled, sharp gaze looking down at monster on his knees. 

Jean finished picking the lock and opened the door, smirking down at Levi once he stood up. "When we don't need each other anymore, we will settle this."

"I like the sound of that" Levi sneered and pushed past Jean, walking inside the house.

It was just like Levi remembered from all those years ago. Reiners house was big and since the last time Levi saw it, it had been painted and decorated on the inside. It wasn't anything like Jeans house, it was a little smaller, but it served the same purpose. The entire house was white on the inside, carpet too, along with the kitchen. It was a miracle someone like Reiner could keep the place so clean. Jean walked inside after Levi, closing the door behind him and looking around. He actually has never been in here before, and from seeing Reiner on the streets, he never thought the mans house would look like this. There had to be something hidden hear, no gang leaders house is this clean. His sure wasn't. "No one should be here, they were all accounted for by Rico and she's never wrong. I don't know how long we have, but we have to make it quick." Jean instructed, "do you know where they would be?"

Silence. No noise from anything in the house, not even a fish tank or a TV left on. It was eerily quiet, something Levi was unfortunately so used too in Jeans home after the man would beat him senseless. Levi cringed at the memory and shook it off, focusing on the task at hand. "Um, we did the deal down here with Bertholt on the couch. Then Reiner got pissed when I hid in his room... you know what" He turned to look up at Jean. "All my private shit was hid under my floor board by my bed.. so maybe we should try that route." 

"Hm, good thinking." Jean thought out loud, he taught Levi well. He perched his sunglasses on the top of his head and looked around the house, "You think we should start up in the bedrooms then?"

"Spread out and we'll cover more ground" Levi said, "you go down in the basement, I think it's the door by the kitchen and I'll look upstairs. Text me if you hear them come in"

"You too" Jean took out the gun he grabbed, taking the safety off. "Be careful"

"Tch, whatever" Levi copied Jeans motions and grabbed his own gun, and they parted ways. 

While Jean went to explore down in the basement, Levi made his way up the stairs. He held the gun in front of him, listening intently for any noise but there was still nothing. It was so silent in this house Levi's own thoughts were protruding through the silence. He grabbed the ear piece he shoved in his pocket earlier and put it in his ear so he could hear Eren, all he could hear was Eren having a conversation with Eld and Furlan and they were just laughing. 

_I just need to get this done and over with so I can see Eren,_ Levi thought to himself as he checked to see if anyone was in any of the rooms upstairs. When he didn't see anyone, he spoke into the mic, knowing Eren could hear him on the other end. "Eren, are you there?" he asked barely above a whisper, he came across to Reiners bedroom door and groaned when it was unlocked, kneeling down and grabbing his lock pic, beginning to pick the lock. 

_"Baby? You can hear me?"_ Erens voice prodded through, a layer of concern in his voice. _"Is everything going okay?"_

"We got in" Levi continued picking the lock, "I can hear you for now, I put my ear piece in. Jean is down in the basement and I'm upstairs, trying to pick this damn lock. Just needed some company."

_"Good, that's good. Furlan says hi by the way."_

"Any news on Izzy?" Levi cheered silently as he unlocked the door, he's still got it. He packed the lock pick away in his pocket and drew his gun out once more, opening the door slowly and checking to see if anyone was in there. 

_"She's still the same, no progress.. doctor said she isn't sure if Isabel will make it. Right now they moved her to an oxygen tank."_

When Levi realized nobody was in the room he strapped his gun back to his belt. In the room was a desk and a bed across from it, the room was painted a dark brown color, and that was something that showed this was Reiners room. The bed was messily made and papers were on the floor and on the desk. _Of course, Reiner was always a messy guy,_ Levi thought to himself. He spoke into the mic once again, "She's on oxygen now?" 

_"Yeah, I'm sorry Levi. They're hoping she will get better as time goes by."_

Levi knelt down at the desk and began to pick the lock since the drawer was locked, "It's okay Eren, thank you for updating me. I appreciate it."

_"How's it going over there?"_

"As good as you think" Levi spoke and unlocked the drawer, pulling it open ans going through a couple files. These were old ones though, about a month old. He frowned, "I'm turning up with nothing here, hopefully Jean has something"

_"Hey Levi, it's Furlan"_

Levi's lips tilted up in a smile at his best friends' voice, "hey Furlan, what's up?"

 _"Eren had to go to the bathroom so he gave me the mic and ear piece"_ Furlan chuckled softly, and for some reason that lightened the mood a little bit.

"How are you doing with all of this, man? I know if Eren was in Izzy's position I would be going insane." Levi kept on opening drawers and going through the files. 

_"As good as I can be, Rivaille. But thank you for doing this. Getting justice for Iz.. I don't know what I would do without you"_

"Roll over and die" Levi joked and scowled when he didn't find any recent files. His stormy grey eyes looked up and caught eye of a fancy painting that wasn't there the last time Levi was here. His lips curved into a frown. He stood on top of the chair and grabbed the painting right above Reiners desk, it was of a forest, and he unhinged it from whatever nail it was hooked on and a victorious smile spread across his face. "Fuck yes" he smirked. 

Behind the painting was a hold in the wall that looked like it was punched on accident. Like maybe Reiner had gotten so mad he had to release his anger. Being a gang leader was not an easy job, so while Reiner let his anger out on walls and shit, Jean had let his anger out on Levi. The raven cringed and reached his hand inside the hole and pulled out some papers. As he looked through them, he grabbed his burner phone in his pocket and sent Jean a text saying that he found them. As soon as he sent the text, he heard a door open downstairs and foot steps barging inside. 

"Shit" Levi cursed and he hung the painting back up. His phone buzzed and he looked down at it, a text from Jean saying someone came home. 

_"Everything okay?"_ Came Erens voice.

Levi stepped down from the chair and shoved the papers in his back pocket. "Someone came back and I'm trapped upstairs, fuck. I'm taking this ear piece out so I can hear, you guys can still hear me." he took the ear piece out and put it back in his pocket and he shut all the drawers he had opened. Levi pressed his ear to the door and closed his eyes, listening to see where the person was walking too. 

Vaguely, he could hear footsteps and talking. It had to be at least two people considering the amount of foot steps, it was someone Levi recognized and someone else who was a mystery. He couldn't put a name to the voices, but they were heading upstairs. Levi took his ear off the door and locked it, and went to the window, _well this seems oddly familiar,_ he thought to himself. Levi unlocked the window and his phone started buzzing, he grabbed it ans answered it. "Jean, you better have a plan for this shit. Whoever is here is about to find me."

_"I have a plan, but it'll be dangerous"_

"Just tell me"

_"You'll hear it"_

Jean hung up the phone and Levi was about to question it, but then a loud bang echoed from downstairs. Levi flinched but the footsteps stopped by Reiners room door, and surged down the stairs all over again. He shut the window and drew his gun back out, carefully exiting the room and guiding himself with his silver gun. He could bear bangs come from downstairs and all he saw was red, shit, something was going down.

Carefully, he walked down the stairs and towards the basement where everyone seemed to be. He opened the door and walked inside, gun in front and on high alert. It's been awhile since he's been at a shoot out, and even though he got what they needed, he couldn't let Jean die. For some reason, he couldn't.. even though he constantly threatened to kill the guy that almost killed him, Levi was now better than that. He's not who he used to be. 

At the sound of another gunshot, Levi went down the stairs silently. He was so sure Eren could hear the gunshots and was worried out of his mind, and Levi had to stop himself from reassuring that Eren was okay. It was pitch back in the basement and he cringed, he hated dark places. As soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs another bang rang out and pain raked up his arm, causing him to curse silently and he moved to the side, hiding behind some sturdy table. 

Someone else shot and he could only assume it was Jean out of defense. Levi covered his arm and thanked God the bullet only grazed his skin, that was something he could handle. 

"Who the hell is here!?" Came a voice, "who are you guys? Why are you here?"

Levi winced and covered his arm, "I don't want to kill you, shoot me again and you're fucking dead."

Silence rang through the room for a second before someone spoke. "I know that voice.. Rivaille?"

"Yeah it's him" Jeans pained voice spoke, "and you can only assume who I am."

"Jean?"

"That's right. We came here to get something we need, so if you would kindly let us go, that would be great." Jean said, he sounded like he got hurt and Levi hated to admit it, but he was worried. 

"This is our home" One of the guys said, they sounded hurt too. "We have a right to shoot you on self defense."

"Tch" Levi aimed his gun towards where he heard voices, staying silent and allowing Jean to talk more. Normally Jean wouldn't be talking in a shoot out, but since he was hurt, Levi could only assume the worst and had his gun aimed and ready to shoot. 

Jean's pained voice spoke next, "You have something that belongs to me."

Another voice. "Oh yeah? And whats that? What's-"

Levi took a gamble and he aimed and shot, cutting off whoever was talking. He could hear the bullet his something and with the little eyesight he had, he saw someone fall and head them hit the ground. 

_Head shot,_ Levi thought to himself with a smirk and dunked behind the table just in time for a shot to be aimed towards him, nearly hitting his head. 

"It's two against one now" Jean laughed and groaned and yeah, he was shot, he had to be. He sounded like he was going to pass out. 

"Two against one? How about I call some fucking-"

Levi aimed and shot again, cutting off the second person talking and then they fell to the floor. He stood up then and went back to the stairs, turning on the light switch and cringing at the sight in front of him. 

On the floor were two dead bodies, one tall male with dark brown hair and another with white hair and a pair of glasses. One was shot in between the eyes and the other was shot in the chest. Both had blood puddled around then, eyes wide open and mouths open too. 

He pocketed his gun and ran to where he saw Jean kneeling behind a broken cabinet on the floor. Jean was leaning against it, covering his thigh with his hands and his eyes were squeezed shit in pain. His gun was on the floor and he was sweating bullets, his hands and legs were covered in blood, Levi could only assume he was shot there. He knelt down next to Jean, concern lacing through his voice. "Jean? Hey, look at me."

Said man opened his eyes and locked his jaw, entire body tensed. "Fuck, you got both of them, right?"

Levi nodded, "move, let me check it. Did they get a hole of Reiner by chance before I got down here?"

Jean shook his head, groaning as Levi cut his jeans with his pocket knife and examined the wound. "No, I got them before they could."

"Good" Levi cursed when blood flowed from Jeans thigh, he lifted the mans leg and sighed in relief when there was an exit wound. He set Jeans leg down and quickly took his shirt off, wrapping it around Jeans thigh to hopefully stop most of the bleeding. He used the sleeves of his shirt to wipe some of the blood. "Fuck, you might need a hospital" he said.

"No, I've had worse" Jean winced as Levi tightened the shirt, he grabbed his phone and texted Petra to come with the getaway car. She responded right away and Jean looked back at Levi, eyeing the wound on his arm. "You good?" he asked, he felt like he was going to fall unconscious. 

Levi finally took notice to the wound on his arm and looked over, the bullet had grazed him. It was nothing to worry about, he's had worse, mostly because of the man in front of him. He shrugged, "it's fine" he said and he stood up, only in his jeans and shoes. He held his hand out for Jean to take, "don't be a pussy, come on, let's go."

Jean looked up at him and grabbed the younger mans hand, groaning as he put pressure on his bad leg. He wrapped his arm around Levi's shoulder and Levi returned the favor by wrapping an arm around Jeans waist. "Whoever thought you'd be back helping me out."

Levi glared as they made their way up the stairs and out the front door, "I'll kill you after all of this is over."

"I have a feeling" Jean spoke dully, it was true. After all this they wouldn't need each other anymore and both were in free reign to kill each other. Levi could only hope he would get the drop on Jean before Jean got the drop on him. 

When they walked out the front door they saw Petras car there, her eyes widening in shock when she saw her injured leader and a shirtless Levi. She rounded the car and unlocked the back door, opening and helping Levi put Jean in the car. Jean groaned as he sat down on the towel Petra provided, "fuck, ow, shit."

Levi took his gun out and before Jean could register what Levi was doing from the lack of blood, the raven hit him hard in the head. Jean's eyes rolled to the back of his head and passed out across the back seat, knocked out. 

Petra gasped and looked at Levi, "what the fuck, Rivaille?"

"Just for extra precaution" he said and covered his bloodied arm, "now come on, let's go back to the house."

After Petra got into the car, Levi spoke into the mic. "Eren, I need you to come back to the house."

-

Eren and Eld arrived at the hospital only twenty minutes later, Eren had his ear piece in the entire time, listening to Levi and Jeans banter as he drove. Eld was talking on the phone with someone while they arrived, and when they got to the hospital Eld had distanced himself from Eren while they walked up the stairs to Isabels room.

It felt like forever since Eren had been there but he knew it's only been a couple of days. When he walked inside the room he saw Furlan reading a book, but he looked up with a smile once he saw Eren and surprisingly Eld was with him. "Hey guys, how are you?"

This was the first time Eld had seen Isabel since the night the two of them ran away and he frowned, looking over her pale body. She looked fragile, and seeing her hooked up to oxygen was heart breaking. She was like a little sister to everyone in the gang, everyone looked after her, especially Furlan, Levi, and Jean. 

As Eld walked in and handed Furlan a bag of most of his things, he ruffled Furlans now messy hair. "Go ahead and take a shower man, we can watch her for a bit"

Furlan smiled and nodded his head at that, "thank you, I just want someone to be with her just in case she wakes up or something."

"We got her" Eren said, "go shower, get something to eat."

With a nod, Furlan left the room. After he left, Eld ran a hand through his hair and sat down on the plastic chair next to the bed. Eren sat down on the comfortable couch by the window where he sat last time, and listened to Levi and Jean bicker once more on the other line. 

_"Fucking disrespectful ass."_ That was Jean.

_"Don't talk to me about disrespectful.. focus on the mission, fuck off with your emotional bullshit, I've had enough."_

Eren wanted to laugh, Jean may be a gang leader, but he was no match for the 5'2" little raven with big brains. He took his phone out and began to play a game, finding comfort in listening to Levi and Jean argue back and forth. 

_"would you shut the hell up? we're working together, you should be nice to me."_

_"I'll kill you where you stand"_

Now, Eren couldn't lie. When Levi got like that.. it was hot. When the raven would power bottom in bed.. that was a whole other level of hot. Eren crossed his legs to hide his oncoming boner and went back to his game. 

"You think she will be okay, Eren?" Eld asked, turning to look at the brunette. 

"I think she will be" Eren gave him a hopeful smile. "She's strong, count on a recovery man"

Furlan returned about fifteen minutes later, showered up and snacks in his hand from the vending machine. He handed Eld some snacks and gave some to Eren and saw down on the couch next to him. 

It was odd, the three of them in one room, but eventually they grew on each other. Eren and Furlan playfully bickered back and forth, leaving Eld to be the mediator and laugh along with them. It was nice, Furlan really needed this. He needed a break from the stress. Eventually though, Eld had gotten a phone call and excused himself from the room, leaving Furlan and Eren in the room. Furlan noticed the ear piece and asked Eren about it, and Eren told him the truth.

The entire time it was basically just static in the ear piece, until Levi's voice finally came through. _"Eren, are you there?"_

Eren jumped at the sudden sound. "Baby? You can hear me?" he asked, concern in his voice. Furlan looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"

_"We got in. I can hear you for now, I put my ear piece in. Jean is down in the basement and I'm upstairs, trying to pick this damn lock. Just needed some company."_

"Tell him I said hi" Furlan said.

"Good, that's good. Furlan says hi by the way"

_"How's Izzy?"_

Eren looked towards her and frowned, "she's still the same, no progress.. doctor said she isn't sure if Isabel will make it. Right now they moved her to an oxygen tank." he explained. 

There was no response from Levi for a moment, but after some shuffling, Levi spoke again. " _she's on oxygen now?"_

"Yeah, I'm sorry Levi. They're hoping she will get better as time goes by." Eren frowned, he wished he could give Levi better news. 

_"It's okay Eren, thank you for updating me. I appreciate it."_

Eren handed Furlan the mic and ear piece and helped him hook it up after talking some more, saying he had to go to the bathroom. After he left, Furlan spoke into the mic. "Hey Levi, it's Furlan."

" _Hey Furlan, what's up?"_

"Eren had to go to the bathroom so he gave me the mic and ear piece."

The two of them talked for some time until Eren came back. Furlan handed Eren the equipment back to him, leaving the room and going to find Eld. Eren leaned his head back against the couch and just listened to Levi shuffle around. It was silent for the most part and Eren found comfort in that. 

Peace never lasted long with them though, because Levi's voice boomed through the mic. _"shit"_

"Everything okay?" Eren asked, concern laced in his voice. 

_"Someone came back and I'm trapped upstairs. Fuck. I', taking this ear piece out so I can hear, you guys can still hear me"_

Eren was about to reply but he assumed Levi had taken the ear piece out already, he had sat up and stayed alert, listening to the sounds coming from Levi's mic. 

For awhile, Eren couldnt hear a thing. He heard Levi answer the phone, it was easy to hear that it was Jean who called him, and then they hung up the phone. Eren listened closely, but jumped when he heard a bang fro far away. 

No.. that couldn't have been Levi. He knew that had to be a gun shot, he's heard them before from movies. He intertwined his hands together and listened to the sound of a door opening, but other than that.. it was silent. "please be okay Levi.. please be okay.." he pleaded to himself.

He heard a door open again and then a bang, this one louder. He heard Levi curse quietly and then another gun shot, and that was when Eren began to panic. "Shit" he whispered to himself.

_"Who the hell is here? Who are you guys? Why are you here?"_

_"I don't want to kill you, shoot me again and you're fucking dead"_ That was Levi's voice and that only confirms Erens assumptions, Levi had been shot and Eren, yet again, was not there to protect him.

_"I know that voice.. Rivaille?"_

_"Yeah it's him"_ That was Jean. _"and you can only assume who I am."_

_"Jean?"_

_"That's right. We came hear to get something we need, so if you would kindly let us go, that would be great"_

_This is our home, we have a right to shoot you on self defense"_

_"Tch"_ Levi again, it was like his catch phrase. 

_"You have something that belongs to me."_

_"Oh yeah, and what's that? What's-"_

Eren jumped at the sound of a gun being fired, that one was really close. Levi had to have shot that one.

_"It's two against one now"_

_"Two against one? How about I call some fucking-"_

Another gun shot, it was as close as the last one and Eren knew that had to be Levi. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he heard Levi shuffling around, he closed his eyes and thanked whatever god existed that his lover was okay. 

_"Fuck, you might need a hospital"_

_"No, I've had worse."_

Okay, it sounded like Jean was hurt and Levi was somewhat okay. He sighed and leaned back against the couch, running a hand through his hair. He didn't know why he was so worried, he knew Levi could hold his own against anybody. It was the fact that he was with jean without Eren being there that made him want to fucking explode.

Levi's voice came through once more, _"Eren, I need you to come back to the house."_

He was more than ready to see Levi again. 

-

After gathering Eld together and saying goodbye to Furlan, Eren and Eld drove back to the house in record time. Eren had to admit, he was not the best driver, so going past the speed limit was like second nature to him. Cops didn't really pull him over when he was in Michigan. Eld just simply hung onto his seat belt, anxiously wanting to get back to the house. 

With a hell of a sloppy marking job in Jeans drive way, Eren shut off the car and Ed followed him into the house. Eren didn't knock on the door, too focused on finding Levi. He slammed the door open and strode inside, looking around until his eyes landed upon Levi. He walked over to him, "what the fuck, Levi?"

He was sitting on a stool by the bar, a bandage around his arm and drinking a bottle of water. He was still only in a pair of jeans, not wanting to accept his bloodied shirt back from Jean or a shirt from said man. He looked up at Eren, sighing in relief and was about to greet him but was welcomed with a bone crushing hug. Levi just accepted it, leaning against Erens chest and closing his eyes. 

Eren hugged Levi tight, looking him over to make sure he was okay. He looked clean, he didn't look hurt besides the bandage on his arm but when Levi raised that arm to hug him back, Eren noted that it wasn't that bad. He kissed the top of Levi's head, rubbing his lovers back. "Where's your shirt?" he asked softly.

"Gave it to Jean, he got shot in the leg and I had to stop the bleeding" Levi mumbled, enjoying the feeling of Erens warm arms. 

Jean looked up when his name was mentioned, he was sitting at the table a few feet apart from them. His bad leg was resting on another chair, Levi's shirt still wrapped around his leg but it was now cleaned and bandaged. He had water as well and a bottle of ibuprofen next to him, and a cloth to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Petra was sitting next to Jean, looking through the sheets Levi snagged from the house. "Thanks for that by the way." he said, wiping his forehead once more. 

Levi huffed and opened his eyes, looking over at his ex. After today, all he wanted to do was go home and cuddle with Eren, maybe watch movies. He was starving, maybe he could convince Eren to cook for him. "How's your leg?" he asked. 

"Been better" Jean sipped at his water, "I would have bled out if it wasn't for ya, thanks raven."

Eren cringed at the nickname Jean had for Levi, he took off his shirt and handed it to Levi. He was wearing a black tank top under it so he was still covered, "here love, put this on, it'll cover those bandages too. What were those shots I heard earlier?"

"Shoot out in the basement of Reiners home" Levi explained, "don't know who they are, but they're dead now, so it doesn't matter"

"They're dead?" Eren asked and raised an eyebrow, "the hell? Did Jean kill them?"

Levi looked up, a sad look in his eyes. "I did."

"Murderer" Jean said with a teasing smile. 

Levi ignored Jeans comment and gladly took Erens shirt, putting it on and welcoming the smell of Erens cologne. He sighed in content and grabbed his water bottle, taking another sip of his water. "We got the spread sheets" Levi told Eren and Eld, who was now sitting on top of the counter. He looked over to Petra, "Petra, have you figured out which one has the most yet? We need it big to catch him." he explained

"Still looking, he's got these played out for the next two months. I'll let you know when I find one though" Petra responded, never taking her eyes off of the sheets, trying to find a deal with Reiners name. 

Eld perked up, "So what's the plan for you two now to bust Reiner?" he asked.

"We find the biggest deal on those sheets and contact the customer he's selling too, Levi and I show up instead and settle the score." Jean said simply. 

To Eren and Levi though, there was more to that plan than what everyone in the gang knew. Both of them had to meet with Erwin and get everything settled, but instead of Jean killing Reiner, Levi was going to show up with the cops instead and bust the both of them. He knew Jean wouldn't rat him out, and that Reiner would be too afraid too. The rumors about what Levi has done were a lot more intimidating than what he's actually done. 

"We won't be able to do that if you can't walk" Levi said, "I can't show up alone, Reiner will have back up"

Jean moved his leg off the chair and grunted, he used the chair to help himself up. He stood on shaky legs and leaned against the wall, using an arm to push himself up. "I'm fine" he said. 

Levi scoffed and stood up from his chair, walking over to Jean. "Sit down, you dumb fuck. Let that shit heal."

"Uh uh" Jean tsked and smacked Levi's arm that was about to push him back down on the chair. "Levi I'm fine, and since when are you so concerned about me anyway? Earlier you said you wanted me dead."

Erens eyes sharpened as he watched Jean smack Levi's hand away, he had to stop himself from beating the absolute shit out of him. 

The feeling of the gun in his belt suddenly became known to Levi and he glared up at Jean, "Because I'm trying to get this shit over with, and I can't have you injured. If you weren't such an idiot earlier we wouldn't be in this situation." he shook his head in disappointment. "No wonder why I was always the brains between us, having a shoot out in Reiners home? You could have been killed, I could have been killed!"

"You didn't have to come down and get to me" Jean glared down at Levi, taking a shaking step towards him. Everyone in the room went silent, Petra and Eld watching the scene in front of them that was oddly familiar. Levi and Jean always argued after a failed mission, they've seen it a million times. The only thing missing was Levi getting beaten. "but you did, so that must mean you still care about me, you short fuck"

Eren stepped in then, putting a hand on Levi's shoulder and stepped in front of him so he was facing Jean now. "Back up" he said through gritted teeth, eyebrows drawn together, if he kept doing that he would get wrinkles.

"Since when did you turn into such a tough guy, Eren?" Jean cocked his head to the side, his hair falling to the side. "Levi can protect himself, so why in the hell are you stepping in? What is even the point of you being here Eren?"

"Because obviously you're not picking up what he's laying down" Eren spat. "Only till after this stupid thing is over, and you're a fucking dead man. You get what you deserve."

Jean hummed, "Oh, I'm a dead man?" he took a step forward towards Eren. They were the same height so they were eye level with each other. Levi watched from behind Eren, hand on his weapon in his belt, ready to draw if needed. He trusted Eren to handle himself though, he was just taking a precaution. 

"How the fuck can you let him get hurt?" Eren growled, referring to his boyfriend. "You should fucking thank him for saving your life, because without him there's no doubt in my mind that you would be fucking dead. Bleeding out or some shit. After you treated him like some rug you wipe your shoes on, he still came back for you because he has a fucking heart. He's not some machine you fucking trained to be a killer. You owe him big time."

"I owe him?" Jean wanted to laugh, "Eren, I don't think you understand. Take a step back and think. Why do you think he came back for me? He still cares about me, you dumb shit. If he didn't he would have left me to die"

"He doesn't care about you-"

"Oh, he doesn't? Then how come he came back?" Jean was tempted to spit in Erens face, how dare Eren step up to him like this? In his own house? "You can't deny the connection Levi and I have, we've been through too much. I sent his uncle to rehab, I took care of him in his darkest moments. I built him back up after being broken over the fact Kenny was gone. What have you done for him, huh? Let Kenny hit him? Let him come with me and almost get shot and killed? Letting Levi come back and see me again? Levi and I are better together than you. What kind of boyfriend are _you_?"

Erens mind couldn't process his actions fast enough, but the next thing he knew he had lunged at the idiot in front of him. He landed on top of Jean with a loud thud and did the only thing he could think to do, land a couple nasty hits to his face. 

Petra and Eld both looked down in shock and then to Levi, wondering what to do. Even after all this time, they thought of him as in some position of authority. No one had attacked Jean in his own home since before Levi joined, and with Levi always second in command, he mainly took the beatings people wanted to give to Jean at times. 

Levi waited a couple moments, having Eren beat the shit out of Jean was something he's been wanting to see, but eventually he had to pull Eren off before he got too lost in his anger and regretted this. They couldn't have Jean too injured, which angered him a bit. Levi pulled Eren off and out of a spit of anger, Eren swung his elbow back to shove Levi away, but his lover was too quick and he twisted Erens elbow behind his back with a snarl. "Hit me and you're a dead man, calm down Eren." he instructed. "Listen to me. Take a deep breath, walk it off."

Eren shot a glare towards Levi and yanked his arm away, standing up and getting off of Jean, wiping the blood off of his busted lip. 

While Eren took a step away, Jean had moved quick, drawing his gun out from his belt and moving to aim at Erens retreating form. 

All Levi saw was red, he drew his gun fast and aimed it at the spot next to Jeans head, shooting at the floor. "Eld, cover Eren!" he instructed. He watched as Jean flinched and Levi kept the gun aimed at him, "drop it, now" Levi growled. Jean let go of the gun, sniffling as blood ran down his nose and his lips, his eyebrow was busted from the weight of Erens punches. Levi put his foot onto Jeans neck, pressing down softly and keeping the gun aimed down at his ex boyfriends face. "You don't draw your weapon at him, you don't attack him, you don't do shit to him. Do you understand me?"

"He-" Jean chocked as Levi pressed down on his neck harder, he could feel something about to snap. Hes never had this happen before, Levi's never taken control like this and it angered him. It was always Jean landing the beatings, this was the first time Levi had the advantage and was because of Eren. Jean made a mental note to kill the bastard when Levi wasn't around. 

"Do. You. Understand. Me?" Levi's voice got deeper, anger evident. He wouldn't leave till he had Jean at his mercy, maybe he was getting into the thrill of it all, having someone at his mercy again. Killing two other people today really didn't help his mental health, right now he wanted to kill him.

Jean nodded, a scowl on his face. 

Eren watched in shock at the scene in front of him, Eld had jumped in front of Eren and aimed his own weapon towards the gang leader. Eren wasn't surprised that Eld did, he was more loyal to Levi than he was to Jean. He watched as Levi had full control over the situation for the first time in the past week, and he almost felt proud. This was the Levi he knew and loved, protective of the ones he loved. 

"Tch" Levi shot at the spot next to Jeans head again and lifted his foot up, tucking his weapon away. "You tell me when the deal goes down, we don't talk then. Understand?"

Jean nodded. 

Levi turned and walked away, watching as Eld kept his gun aimed towards Jean, he looked and saw Petra doing the same thing. "Stand down" Levi ordered, "Eren and I are leaving" he said and he grabbed Erens hand, leading him out of the house without a glance behind him. He trusted Eld and Petra. 

Eren followed Levi out of the house, still in shock at the sudden turn of events. He almost got shot, and he beat the shit out of a well known criminal. He didn't know what to think, how did his life get like this?

Before they even walked to the car, Levi spun around and enveloped Eren into a hug, wrapping his arms around him and squeezing tight. And who was Eren to deny affection from Levi? He wrapped his arms around him, pressing a kiss to his head. "Thanks for having my back" he whispered.

"Thanks for standing up for me" Levi replied, looking up at Eren. "Thank you.." his hands were shaking, "I've never tried to shoot him.."

"Shh" Eren pressed a kiss to Levi's lips. "You were protecting me, it's alright. You did the right thing"

Levi nodded and clung onto Erens tank top, "I love you."

"Love you too. Let's go home honey, we'll order take out and have a relaxing bath. I'll take a look at your arm too, that sound okay?"

"Yes"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> character development is weird in my opinion, and i dont want people getting jeans apology mixed in with him becoming a good guy. jean is fucked up in the head but he did mean his apology, just in case you guys were wondering. he's too messed up in the head to get better though. sorry for the confusion.


	33. Somethings Gotta Give

_"Big bro, do you think we'll ever make enough money to leave here?" Isabel asked while her and Levi were sitting on a park bench, Levi smoking a blunt while Isabel simply had some water. Furlan was doing a deal with Jean right now, so they finally had some time just to themselves._

_Levi looked over at her and blew out some smoke, "Of course Izzy, why?"_

_She frowned as she looked over Levi's wrist in a sling, tears welling up in her eyes. "Because.. I hate what he's doing to you. You can leave now if you wanted, Kenny is out of rehab so.. so there's nothing holding you down here."_

_"Izzy" Levi let out a sigh, "I don't care what he does to me, you and Furlan are like family to me. One of my biggest regrets will be leaving you two behind.. if I make a decision to leave and you guys turn up hurt or dead.. I couldn't live with myself."_

_A tear escaped Isabels bright green eye, rolling down her cheek. She touched Levi's sling, watching him tense up. "But what he's doing to you.. "_

_"I can handle Jean." Levi put out the blunt and flicked it to the ground. He turned to Isabel and put his hand on her thigh. "All I want is to keep you and Furlan safe, how much more do you guys need to make it out there? To leave?"_

_Isabel wiped her eyes and sniffled, "um.." she looked down and counted on her fingers, Isabel had not finished high school. She had to drop out and was living on the streets until Furlan and Levi found her in an alley way, starving to death. Furlan and Isabel had started dating months afterwards. The three of them have been attached to the hip ever since. "A couple thousand, but Furlan says he has it covered but.."_

_Levi used his only good arm to hold her hand, intertwining their fingers. "Let Furlan and I handle the money Izzy, you focus on you and staying alive. Okay? You're like a little sister to me, so let me look after you."_

_"But Jean.."_

_"Jean has nothing on you." Levi gave her a sad smile, "let me handle Jean, I've been handling him for years now.. let me take it, so no one touches your pretty little head.. okay?"_

_"O-Okay.. big bro.."_

"Eren please, please please" Levi sobbed into the sheets, tears running down his cheeks. He was face down ass up, hands tied behind his back, and he's came three times already. He was overstimulated to the point where his legs were shaking non stop and Eren had to hold him up. "Oh fuck, shit, Ereeeeen..."

Eren chuckled as he kept pounding relentlessly into Levi's tight hole, smacking his red bruised ass in the progress. God, he loved it when Levi let him do whatever he wanted to do. "you comin' again baby?"

Levi couldn't answer, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he let out a long drawn moan. 

"Silly boy" Eren pushed himself balls deep inside of Levi and as the raven cried out as Eren prodded at his prostate, he leaned down and twisted one of Levi's nipples, making the bottom whimper. "answer me when I'm talking to you, lover."

"Ah!" Levi gasped out, sweat running down his forehead. His entire body was red and hot, so very hot. "Ngh.. yeah.. please keep going, please.."

"Anything for you" Eren smiled and leaned back up, gripping Levi's hips once more and thrusting ruthlessly into Levi's tight hole once more. 

After a couple more seconds, because Levi was already so sensitive from his previous orgasms, he let out a cry of "Oh fuck! Shit!" and he spilled all over the towel that was beneath him and out of pure exhaustion, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, he convulsed, then.. he passed out. Erens eyes widened as Levi's body went limp, that's never happened before. Eren pulled out of Levi and patted Levi's cheek, "baby, hey, you okay?" he asked, his boner softening in the process. 

No response. 

"Shit" Eren gently grabbed a hold of Levi's body and cradled him, laying him down onto the bed on his back after undoing the ropes on his hands. He grabbed the towel and wiped himself down then moved to Levi, wiping down his stomach and his hole in the process so Levi felt clean when he woke up. With shaking hands, Eren tossed the towel into the hamper and leaned down, caressing Levi's cheek. "Baby, hey.. can you hear me?" he asked gently. 

It was a few more moments of silence before Levi's eyes fluttered open, looking up at Eren with a dazed smile. His eyes were wet and his face was red, bangs sticking to his forehead from sweating, just like Eren. "Hey" he said, his voice soft and worn out. 

Eren breathed out a sigh of relief, "oh thank god" he pressed his forehead against Levi's. "You scared the shit out of me, you fucking asshole. You fucking passed out."

Levi just sniffled and laughed, pressing a kiss to Erens lips. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I'm fine, just fucking tired I guess. Didn't mean to black out there" 

"Never do that again, you made me go soft" Eren laughed too, pulling away and carding his fingers through Levi's hair. "I hate you. I hate you so much.. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you"

"Yeah yeah, whatever" Levi smiled and brought his hand up to cup Erens cheek, watching as the younger boy nuzzled into his hand. His eyes softened at the sight, stroking Erens cheek with the soft pad of his thumb. "I love you.. so much.. Eren.." 

"I know baby, I know you do." Eren kissed Levi's thumb, "I know"

-

Eren found something out this morning. It had to do with caffeine. And Levi.

They did not sleep much last night, fucking on and off. Eren making Levi squirm and the little minx riding Erens dick until the brunette practically begged him to stop. He had to admit, their sex life was better than any porn he had ever seen.

So that leads to this morning. They had gotten ready for the day and they raided Kennys stash of 5 hour energy drinks, also stopping for a coffee. Eren was barely hanging on from how tired he was, but his lover was the opposite.

He acted a lot like Hange, Eren observed as they made their way to Erwins home. He was jittery and non stop talking, Eren had eventually turned the radio up so he wouldn't have to hear Levi ramble on about yet another reason why country music is his least favorite.

Eren wanted to cry in relief when they got to Erwins home.

Levi walked into Erwins home like he owned the place, Eren walking in behind him. "Erwin fucking Smith! Oh do I have a proposition for you!"

Erwin was hard at work at his own house, going over some paperwork before he went back to work on Monday. He was in the living room, which was diagonal from the front door. He didn't even hear the front door open, but he definitely heard his loud ass mouth boom throughout the house. He sighed and shut his packet of papers, accepting the fact that he won't finish his paperwork until Levi and Eren leave. "I'm in here!" he called out.

At the sound of Erwins voice Levi darted to the living room, Eren hot on his tail. Eren doesn't think he's seen Levi in this good of a mood in awhile, then again, he was running on no sleep and plenty of caffeine thanks to him, they were also a day closer to busting Jean and Reiner. To be fare, he's never seen Levi only running on energy drinks, so to see Levi with this much energy was fucking weird. He's going to have to apologize to Erwin for all of this. 

Being tackled onto his on couch was something Erwin did not have on his to do list for today. He grunted as a mop of black hair jumped and knocked him over, "Levi, what in the world?!" he asked, rubbing his head because it hit the arm of the couch as he went down, a headache forming. 

Eren rubbed the back of his neck nervously when he saw Levi practically tackle someone over a foot taller than him. His lover was small, but he had more strength than they realized. "Sorry Erwin, I didn't know how he reacts to sugar and I uh.. gave him quite a couple energy drinks this morning, we didn't sleep much last night."

Erwin glared at him over Levi's practically shaking form. "Fucks sake, Eren-"

"Erwin! I gotta talk to you" Levi said, still very much on top of Erwin.

Said man groaned and pushed Levi off of him, not missing the loud thud as Levi hit the ground. "Okay, you can tell me, but don't tackle me you weirdly strong midget."

Levi huffed and looked up to Eren, who walked over to Levi and helped him up. "You know you don't have to be so mean, Erwin, I'm a guest in your home. Your mom would smack you if she saw you knock me down." 

"And you don't always have to be so physical" Erwin rolled his eyes and watched the two boys sit down on the couch. "So, what is it that you need?"

"I can help you up the ranks in the police force and bust the two biggest gangs on the south side, you can move up ranks without having to suck any dick that's for sure." Levi said eagerly, practically bouncing in his seat which was.. _so_ unlike the Levi Ackerman that Erwin and Eren knew. "Please tell me you're good friends with the sheriff" he pleaded.

Erwin raised a thick brow, "um.. we get along well, yes. Why are you asking, exactly?"

Levi leaned forward, "Don't ask why, but Reiner and Jean are meeting up for a deal pretty soon and I have the dates on when that is happening. There's going to be a big drug exchange happening, with a whole bunch of shit. Wouldn't it be a prize if the new officer led a drug bust of the two most well known gangs in Long Beach?"

Erwin looked at Eren to see if this was true, and at the brunette nodding his head, Erwin looked back at Levi. "I assume you have connection to one or both of the dealers?" he asked. 

"I have connections, but no way for them telling me I was involved. But.. there's one problem." Levi frowned, "I.. I have to be there with them to make sure the deal goes down the right way.. "

"Levi.. I'm not letting you in the middle of this. You will give me the dates and be nowhere near them, do you understand me?" Erwin ordered.

"Erwin, all due respect" Eren interrupted, scooting his position so he was leaning against the arm of the couch and pulling Levi in between his legs. Levi rested his back against Erens chest, smiling when Erens arms wrapped around him and held him close. "Without Levi there, the deal won't be happening. I don't like it as much as you, but we've discussed it and found that it will only happen the way we want too if Levi is there."

Erwin crossed his arms over his chest, a frown etched onto his face that he only had when he was unsettled. "And why not?"

Eren kissed Levi's head, "because without Levi, this whole thing won't happen like you guys want it too" he spoke, watching Levi curl into his arms. "We need to tell you something but you have to swear not to tell anyone else, okay? Not anyone in the police force, that's for sure."

With a nod from Erwin, Eren began under Levi's watchful gaze. His nails dug into Erens skin and the taller man shushed him, rubbing his arm to ease the raven a little bit.

"Isabel Magnolia, Levi's friend, was shot by Reiner Braun, who is a gang leader on the south side. Jean, another gang leader, is Levi's ex boyfriend so when he heard about Isabel, he went with Jean to find out who did it." Eren rubbed Levi's arm again when the raven closed his eyes, "Anyway, Jean knows when Reiners next deal is and plans to show up with Levi as his back up. Reiner and Levi have a history. Having Levi show up will dictate how the whole thing goes down, because it will draw Reiner in enough for you and the other officers to get the upper hand, maybe bring out some other dealers for a big arrest."

"If my officers show up, then Levi will be arrested as well." Erwin pointed out. "Along with Jean, Reiner, and everyone else who shows up."

Eren shook his head, "he's been clean off of drugs and he won't be directly involved, he won't even be holding them. Jean won't give Levi up in court, with their connection the guy doesn't have the heart to do it. So Levi is basically the bait, no matter how much I hate for him to be..."

Levi peeked at Erwin, "I have a way of making it look like I'm forced to be there, if I piss Jean off enough.. he'll try to off me in front of everyone to prove we're not together."

Erwin was hesitant, the plan seemed sloppy but he knew that if this was the best Levi had, then he had to accept it. He sighed and nodded his head, "Okay, so when will the next deal be scheduled? I'll tell the sheriff that I got an anonymous tip and that should cover it, but Levi, not all my officers think the way I do, especially not the sheriff. You have to be a damn good actor, so you worry about that and only that. And I want you to be as careful as possible, you understand?"

"I do" Levi nodded, playing with Erens fingers. "I've done so much shit, convincing a sheriff doesn't seem to hard."

"I believe you" Erwin said and he looked back at his papers, "Drug dealers use burner phones, yes?"

"Uh hu" Eren nodded his head. 

"Then dispose of yours immediately" Erwin ordered, "and Jeans, there should be no record that you two talked. Anything of yours, Levi, get out of his house. That will erase any evidence that Jean and you are ex lovers."

"Thank you, Erwin"

"It's not an issue, Levi."

They remained at Erwins house for another hour after that, just chit chatting and talking about their days. Erwin had asked Levi if anyone on the south side knew that the raven was here, and Levi proceeded to say that no one has followed him up here and that Erwin and Armin were safe. Levi asked if Erwin can talk to the sheriff today and Erwin said he could, calling up his officer saying he got a tip and to suggest to start an investigation. The sheriff agreed and said he would send officers to Isabels hospital room. 

He told Levi and Eren about the officers going to the hospital and that's where both boys were heading next. The drive was quick, Levi parked and they went inside. Eren led the way since his legs were longer and he was faster, Levi had complained all the way up since Eren could climb twice as many stairs. They finally reached Levi's room but as they walked inside they could see Furlan talking to two officers, "Um.. hi" Eren greeted. 

The two officers turned to look at them, one, a very intimidating man spoke first, offering his hand for Eren to shake. "My name is officer McCloud and this is my partner officer Miller. We're here on the case of Isabel Magnolia, nice to meet you."

Eren shook the officers hand, "Eren Yeager, I don't know her personally but my boyfriend here is like an older brother to her."

Officer McCloud offered his hand to Levi, and the raven didn't shake it. "My name is Levi Ackerman, I don't do handshakes."

"He has a thing with touching" Eren excused Levi's behavior, "he means well."

"It's alright, Eren. It's nice to meet you Levi, mind if I ask you guys how you know Isabel and Furlan?" He asked, taking out his note pad. 

"She was my childhood friend" Levi said, "we grew close after awhile and then I switched schools, I haven't seen her since until not when Furlan called me to tell me she got shot."

The officer nodded and looked at Eren, "and you?"

Eren shrugged, "Like I said I don't know Isabel, I'm here to support Levi."

McCloud nodded once more, "Furlan told us they got shot by someone in a dark black car with no license plates, we intend to do everything we can to make sure we catch whoever did this.Thank you for your time."

Officer McCloud and Miller walked out of the hospital room and that left Eren, Furlan, Levi and Isabel in the hospital room. Levi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and Furlan looked at them, "Um, why in the hell were there officers here? They don't give a damn about us."

"You're welcome" Levi glared and smacked the back of Furlans head, "I started up an investigation, both Jean and Reiner are going to get their asses reamed."

Furlan looked up in question, "what do you mean?"

Eren grabbed a candy bar and opened it, "we have a friend in the police and he called the sheriff, they've officially started an investigation for Isabel. Levi and I can handle it, all you need to do is be with Izzy."

"..Wow.." Furlan smiled for the first time in awhile, a real smile. "So we really have a chance at getting justice for Izzy?" 

Levi softly glanced at his friend, he sat on the side of Isabels bed and looked at her, putting his hand on top of her pale and warm hand. "Yeah, Furlan, we're getting justice for her."

-

After awhile that same day, Levi and Eren manage to convince Furlan to stay at Levi's home. Kenny was at work and woudn't be home till later so Furlan could sleep in an actual bed. After they dropped him off there, Eren and Levi figured it was time to get some lunch and decided to go out to eat this time. It's been awhile since they've been out on a date, and after all this nasty business, Eren figured he should treat Levi to something.

Weirdly, Levi was craving soup and salad so they went to a fancy diner on the north side of town. The walls were all glass so the place was bright, and the music was the latest country singles. It was a good vibe, a bright and happy type of place, something they both needed right now. 

They ordered what they wanted and were left there alone, looking at each other. Levi's eyes roamed Erens strong and tan figure, the man in front of him was physically perfect in every way. Not to mention his bomb dick. He smiled to himself and took a sip of the water the waitress sat down in front of him.

"What are you smiling at?"

Levi looked at him, a teasing smile. "Your cock."

Eren rolled his eyes, "I'm not fucking you anytime soon, you literally passed out last time."

"I didn't mean too"

"Okay and? You did" Eren scolded him, "So no"

Levi pouted, "babe..."

"See, no, I know what you're doing." Eren chuckled, "just because you call me babe and pout does not mean that you'll get what you want from me."

"You're a fucking loser" Levi rolled his eyes.

Eren smiled, his white teeth blinding. "You love me."

"I don't know how I do."

"It's this awesome cock."

"Ah yes, nothing to do with the man attached to it."

"Hey now..."

"Love you"

"Yeah whatever"

Their food was brought out to them minutes later and while Levi devoured his soup, Eren only picked at his which was weird. Levi stared him down, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. He cocked his head to the side, kicking Erens foot with his own. "Everything okay with you?" he asked. 

Looking up from his food, Eren put his spoon down and sighed. "I'm worried for you."

Levi frowned, "hey, we got a plan worked out, so what else is there for you to worry about?"

"We know Jean won't give you up in court or anything.. but what about Reiner?"

"What about Reiner?" Levi asked, sipping at his soup again, pushing his bangs out of his face. 

Eren took his hat off and fixed his hair, setting his hat on backwards once more. "I mean, what is Reiner rats you out?" 

Levi shrugged, seemingly without a care in the world that stressed Eren out even more. "We will deal with that when it comes to that. Even if I get in deep shit, I'm getting the both of them arrested."

"But Levi-"

"Eren" Levi said sharply, making the younger man freeze. Levi never talked to him like that. "Let me worry about that. Now, eat."

Levi wouldn't tell Eren he was just as paranoid as he was. 

-

Both of them decided to spend the rest of their day together, walking along the beach and splashing water at each other. They weren't swimming, but Levi eventually shed his sunglasses and shirt and tackled Eren into the water. It brought them back to their youth, especially Levi. Playing around with Eren without a care in the world was something he should've been doing when he was a kid, but with Eren he was experiencing new things. Playing around without a care in the world was one of them. 

Eren had rose from the water and tackled Levi next, making the older laugh and wrestle around with him. Smiles etched onto both of their faces, a wild playful look in their eyes. Eren enjoyed this side of Levi, the one that played with him like they were kids. Recently things have been going south for his lover and all he wanted to do was spread happiness.

It warmed Erens heart to see Levi so playful like this, shoving water in his face and bellowing out a loud laugh while he did it. It was so different than the Levi he's seen for the past couple days. They haven't talked about Levi shooting two men and threatening Jean, stepping into his old ways once more. Eren tried to ask about it, but Levi had made it very clear he did not want to bring it up. All he said was that he knew Jean would take care of it and he wouldn't be caught, but Eren wasn't worried about Levi being caught. 

He was more worried about the fact that Levi seemed so utterly destroyed over spring break, calling himself a murderer and now he killed two more people and has had no reaction regarding it. He's ignored the entire Kenny situation, and the fact that Jean was around him. His abusive ex. 

Now, Eren supposed Levi must deal with trauma in a different way than he does. Eren cried it out and talked the moment something happened, but Levi tended to bottle it up and let his rage explode months later. Eren knew that was unhealthy, but he also knew that Levi would talk to him once things get bad. 

Speaking of Kenny, him and Levi have not talked. Still, they are passing each other by. Levi's nose had healed and he could wear his glasses again, there were no more marks on his face. It looks like nothing even happened. The blood was wiped from the tile in the kitchen floor by Kenny himself, which was a relief to both boys. Levi had thrown the stained clothes away and washed Erens when they left Erwins. 

Eren knew Levi could handle trauma, but he knew it wasn't always healthy. 

As they spent their day together, Hange ended up facetiming the two of them. When Levi and Eren answered, Moblit joined Hange in the screen. He greeted them saying that he was in California, he had just flown in and they should all hang out. That led to where they were all at now. 

The four of them had met up for a dinner at Erwins house, Armin was invited too so Erwin wouldn't feel like a third wheel in his own home. Levi and Hange actually cooked dinner while Eren, Armin, Moblit, and Erwin played a game of soccer in the back yard. When Levi and Hange were finished cooking one of Hange's family recipes, they brought the food out onto the deck and served everyone a plate.

Tonight was an easy night, something that both Eren and Levi needed. Erwin didn't bring up the investigation once while they were all gathered together that night. It seemed like tonight was the calm before the storm, and Hange, Armin, and Moblit had no idea what would be happening sooner than later. A safe and peaceful night was something Eren and Levi had been craving since they arrived in Califorina. 

However, their peaceful dinner was interrupted by Levi's burner phone vibrating in his pocket. He excused himself from the dinner table and walked back inside, making sure the door was shut before answering the phone, already knowing who it was despite not looking at the number. "l'avez-vous compris?" (did you figure it out?) he asked. 

_"No room for small talk?"_ Jeans voice bit back through the phone. 

"No time for dicking around" Levi rolled his eyes, "did Petra find a date for the next deal?"

 _"She did, actually."_ Jean said, _"It's with Jeff and Isaac, but we're going to show up instead of them. Reiners dealing meth now, the fucking idiot, but he's dealing meth and a whole bunch of Heroine, along with weed. So by the time we get there and beat his ass, we have some drugs to keep me afloat for awhile."_

Levi had to struggle to bite his tongue even though he was great at lying. Jean thinks that it's going to be just him and Levi there, but little did he know Levi had the cops on his side and he was acting as bait. "Good. So when is it?" he asked, "and you can keep the drugs, I don't want them. I'm clean."

_"Fucking priss. The deal is scheduled tomorrow night at seven. So you better be ready, and get rid of your burner phone by the way. Don't want-"_

"I'm clean, not stupid" Levi rolled his eyes. "Don't forget to get rid of yours either, fuckwad."

_"I know, this one is being trashed tonight. Deal is on the corner of sixth and houston by the abandoned Ross that went out of business. Supposed to be at 7:30."_

"I'll be there"

_"Ready to beat some ass like old times?"_

Oh Jean, Levi wanted to say. You have no idea.

"See you tomorrow."

And he trashed the phone.

Levi and Eren were walking hand and hand to Erwins front door about to head home when they were stopped by Armin calling out Levi's name. The raven had turned, blank faced as he looked down at the cute bowl-cut blonde. "Yes?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

Armin had a blush on his face, he looked back to make sure Erwin couldn't hear him and looked back at Levi. "Um.. I.. bought things"

"Huh?" Eren looked between the two. "Wha-"

"Use them" Levi interrupted his lover, tightening his grip on Erens hand as a silent _shut the fuck up._ "Protection and everything?"

"I.. I snooped through Erwins room, he has some" Armins blush deepened. 

Levi smirked, a proud look on his face. "You little thief, but go ahead, perfect night, you guys are in a good mood. You're safe here too, in a big house and everything."

Armin smiled, "you think I can do it?"

"Course you can, brat" Levi ruffled Armins hair, "now go, your man is waiting for you."

When Armin turned around and went back to Erwin, Eren and Levi left the house and drove home. Once they got into the car, Eren finally asked what was bothering him. "So what was Armin talking about?"

Levi chuckled, "he's planning on losing his v card tonight with Erwin, wanted some tips and stuff. We talked about it when he was fixing my nose and shit, he's been keen on it ever since."

Eren smiled lightly, "that's cute, you gave him advice on how to bottom since you're so good at it."

"Oh please" Levi rolled his eyes as he drove, "I am the best power bottom here in Cali."

"Don't get too cocky there, you idiot."

Levi placed his hand on Erens thigh while he passed a green light, "Oh, the deal is going down tomorrow. I already informed Erwin a little bit ago while we cleaned the kitchen."

"So.. that means everything we've worked for, it all depends on tomorrows results then?" Eren asked, "like..it's the final showdown then?"

"Yes" Levi nodded, black hair falling into his face. He shook his head, getting it out of his eyes so he could drive. He needs a hair cut. "You understand you can't be there, right?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I am going to be there Levi, I'm not leaving you alone."

"And I'm not letting you get hurt, this is a lot of shit and no offense, but I am more prepared for this than you are."

Eren frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't like this, Vi."

"You think I do?" Levi snapped, "I don't like it either but I know how these things work. If anything, stay back with Erwin when he shows up. He will have the police force with him, they'll be undercover more like is what he said. There will be weapons there because that's how Reiner fights, I won't have a vest or anything.. but you will. Stick with Erwin, have him clear you to stay at a safe distance if you want. But if anything happens to you I will never forgive you."

"..Noted.."

That night, both boys slept restlessly, the anticipation for tomorrow making their stomachs roll. 


	34. Love Is A Losing Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> showdown between Levi,jean, and reiner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this after my homework and I'm soooo tired lol bit this book is coming to an end :(

_"I wish we were good for each other Jean, if you weren't so mean.. we.. I could be happy."_

_"I'm so sorry, Rivaille.."_

_Jean and Levi were in the back yard of a nice house. Bright green grass surrounded them as they looked up at the baby blue sky, the sun beaming down on them, only blocked by the few clouds that dare to cross it. There was a slight breeze, and within the green grass rose beautiful bright pink flowers. They were in a garden, a flower garden, soft music playing in the background._

_Peace. It's something Jean had always sought since he was a young child. It's something he feels when he's around Levi. At first, their partnership started because Jean needed money but now.. three years in and the raven was still his right hand man, with him through ever dumb decision he's made.. Levi is here. He's still here._

_When Jean was just a kid, he was born into a rich family but that all got taken away from him. His parents couldn't afford to have him in the house anymore, and it was constant fighting. He decided, at the age of seven, that he would leave so they could have peace._

_He didn't have a plan when he left, he just packed clothes in his paw patrol book bag and left the house. He was born on the north side of Long Beach, with all the rich kids and he tried to go where his parents wouldn't find him. Jean followed road signs until he arrived on the south side, and then he lived on the streets._

_It was only six months of digging through trash cans when he was found by two older men. One was named Jimmy and the other was named Brady. They were the first people he had spoken too since he left his parents home, they showed him such kindness his parents never showed him. After a couple days of feeding the seven year old, Jean had agreed to go with them._

_They lied to him about their career. Jean thought they worked at the local store, but it turns out they were leaders of a gang. They were horrible men, who after a couple years, started to abuse Jean to no end. Hitting him every time something went wrong, kicking him out during the winter, refusing to feed him._

_"Treat them like a bitch Jean, and you'll always get your way." was the only advice they ever gave him._

_It went on until he turned sixteen, and he ran away again with the few friends he had made. He had moved in with one of his friends who was older than he was, they shared an apartment. In order to protect himself, Jean had formed his own gang with people he was close with._

_Years pass and he was twenty one years old, thriving with his own home and gang. He hadn't heard from Jimmy and Brady since he was sixteen, five years ago. Jean's name was feared in Long Beach by locals, no one messed with him or anyone with him. He was truly at his happiest._

_Or so he thought._

_After awhile sales went down and he couldn't figure out why, but then he heard Rico talking about a young man she dealt with that owed her money. He decided to take that deal, and that was when he met Levi. The cute little fifteen year old, shaggy black hair and skin and bones. Begging on his knees, teary eyed and scared for his life as Furlan shoved his face into the concrete._

_Jean never thought he'd seen someone so beautiful._

_"If you were sorry, you wouldn't do it anymore." Levi sighed out, opening his eyes and peeking over at Jean with hooded eyes. "You hurt me so bad.. I think my ribs are still broken.. what if I die one of these days?"_

_Jean rolled over and cupped Levi's cheek, "I would never raven.. I would never kill you."_

_Levi's stormy grey eyes peeked up at Jean, a somber look in them. He looked sad. "What if I die right now?" he asked. "Would you be sad?"_

_"What? Of course I would" Jean looked down at him confused, "Why would you ask that?"_

_He watched as Levi's stormy grey eyes roll to the back of his head and his body slowly went limp, then.. nothing. Jean panicked and shook his lover and shouted. "Rivaille? Levi? Levi! Raven!" he shook Levi harder but there was no response. "Levi? Levi! Wake up! Wake up!"_

_"Wake up!"_

_"Wake up, Levi!"_

"Wake up!"

"Jean, wake up!"

Jean shot up from his position on the bed, screaming Levi's name once more. He looked around frantically, searching for his previous lover whom he still had nightmares about to this day. 

It was Rico who had woken him up, she was in her pajamas and she must've been asleep because her glasses weren't on. She was in her sweatshirt and shorts, hair all messy in two buns and she looked tired. "Jean, are you alright?" she asked.

He slowed his breathing and looked around, running a hand through his own hair in distress. "uh.. yeah.."

"You were saying his name again" Rico said sadly, sitting down on the bed and sipping from her water bottle. "Another nightmare?"

Jean sighed and leaned against the head board, "yeah, I'm fine though. Thanks for waking me up."

Rico frowned, "I love the both of you, I really do. But do you really think doing all of this with him is healthy for both him and you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've woken you up from nightmares about him every single night since Izzy got shot" Rico said and traced her fingertips on the rim of her water. "I can't imagine how Levi is handling it though, you put the kid through hell. It's no wonder he left you Jean.. maybe if you would have treated him better he would have stayed. We wouldn't be in debt if he wouldn't have left."

"I know that, you don't have to tell me." Jean rubbed his face, "I know I treated him like shit, and I can't fucking get over it. I don't know why I can't, Rico. I've treated everyone like shit, but when it comes to him.. I can't fucking forgive myself. 

Rico lowered her gaze to the floor, "It's because you still love him, you idiot."

Jean shook his head, "no-"

"Admit it" She looked up at him, a glare on her face. "You loved him then and you love him now. You haven't been with anyone since. You were with him for three years, your first real relationship and you fuck up bad. I know everything you did because he cried to me every single night. He's fucked up because of you, you were a fucking monster. Haven't you seen what you've turned him into?!"

"Yes-"

"No!" Rico stood up, throwing her bottle of water onto the floor. "You don't! You don't have a right to have nightmares about him! You know how many times I had to clean him up because you beat him up? Or raped him? Or when you forced him to overdose on Heroine? Cocaine? You say you love him but you didn't care. You wanted a partner in crime, not a life partner. He's so fucked up because of you, I can see it. I can see it whenever he comes over here to discuss something with you, he used to be so soft and so fucking gentle and now look at him! You did that Jean! To a kid! You're a monster!"

Jean glared, "Rico-"

"What? What are you going to do?" She glared, "kick me out? Rape me? Beat me? Force me to overdose? Oh wait, maybe you'll sell me for extra money. Yeah.. yeah I know about that. Because I cleaned him up after those too. I held him while he shook, while he cried, I had to clean his private area from blood almost every fucking night and you were out getting drunk or high without a god damn care in the world! He tried to many times to get you to stop, to be good, to turn your life around and you never cared. You don't deserve pity, you don't deserve anything.. You waste of space." With that, she turned and left, slamming the door. 

Leaving Jean alone in his thoughts. 

Levi really was the best thing that ever happened to him and he fucked up. Bad.

_

"Officer Smith, are you positive on this tip that you got?" The Sheriff questioned. "You are a very smart man so I assume so, but I have to be reassured that I am not sending my men into a flimsy trap or anything like that"

They were in the main office, well, the sheriffs office. It was only the two of them, the meeting confidential. Today was the day of the deal and Erwin was trying his hardest to convince the sheriff to give him a chance on this. 

"I'm positive" Erwin concluded, "The tip I got was from someone within Jeans gang and who has had affiliation with Reiner. This will be the biggest drug bust in years in Long Beach, also, these are the two most well known drug traffickers in Long Beach as well. This will reduce our drug funds around this area, keeping this area safe for children to be raised. And once we get rid of them, we can start rebuilding the south side and open up more businesses."

The sheriff pondered that thought, Erwin was right. He would be a great sheriff one day. "I believe you, Erwin" he began. "I'll allow you to take temporary charge of this tonight, but you will be accompanied by Officer Shadis and whomever he chooses. All final decisions will be run through me. Understood?"

Erwin nodded, "Understood, sheriff. Thank you."

"When will this happen?"

"Approximately seven thirty this after noon, Jean is rumored to be quite dangerous and so is Reiner Braun. One thing I was told though, was that he has been holding people captive and forced them into his gang and keeping them there, forcing them to deal. Anyone with him is not a reliable source to grab information because he has something held over each of their heads, such as Isabel Magnolia and Furlan Church."

The sheriff hummed. "I'm aware, I have not been down there in a long time but I have heard the rumors as well. Hopefully after this ordeal tonight, we will be able to free those people as well."

Erwin stood up. "Agreed. I'm going to file some more paperwork. Thank you again, sir."

"You're welcome, Smith."

Once they do the drug bust, they could raid Jean and Reiners homes and save all those poor souls.

Erwin walked out of the office, giving Levi a call.

_

"You're shitting me, thank you Erwin. I'll see you later tonight. Bye you big ass tree" Levi said as he hung up the phone and set it down on the kitchen counter. 

Eren looked up from where he was sitting at the table, playing a game on his phone. "So what did he say? Are you gonna keep me in the dark or what?"

Levi went back to cooking Eren some lunch, "Everything is set in stone, we have the police on our side."

"That's great!" Eren smiled and stood up, walking around the counter and over to Levi. He wrapped his arms around Levi's waist, pressing his front to Levi's back. He pressed a kiss to Levi's head, smiling when the raven had tried to elbow him in the side. "Hey now, chill"

"There's something I gotta tell you." Levi turned the burner down on the stove and turned around, still enveloped in Erens muscled arms. He reached up and brushed Erens brown bangs out of his face, then caressing his lovers cheek. 

Eren raised a brow and leaned into Levi's gentle touch, "yeah? What's that?" he asked. 

"You need to let me do this alone."

"What? Levi are you crazy?"

"Maybe I am" he shrugged, "but I can't have you near this whole thing, Eren.. I know I already told you this and I trust you to let me do this. I'm just worried about you."

"Baby" Eren held Levi's slim hips firmly, "I'm worried about you too, you have no idea. I've been watching you crumble and pick yourself up since we arrived here, nothing bad will happen tonight. It will be a walk in the park, alright? By tomorrow, everything will be back to normal."

Levi leaned forward and rested his head onto Erens chest, tucking it under his chin and bringing his hands up to rest on Erens chest. He fluttered his eyes shut, finding comfort as Erens arms tightened around him. He was a nervous wreck, but he refused to show it. He was older than Eren, he should be able to handle these types of things. 

Eren placed his chin on Levi's head, rubbing his back, staying silent. It was something Levi needed, to be held and comforted. It was a silent _everything will be okay_ that only Eren could provide for him. The younger man sighed softly, using his nails to scratch lightly at Levi's clothed back.

This was the calm before the storm. Six hours from now Eren will be nothing more than a bystander while the love of his life will be in the midst of the biggest drug bust this city has seen. They wanted to enjoy the time of peace they had right now, wishing it would never be interrupted. 

Unfortunately, that would not be the case for them. 

Kenny had walked in the kitchen during the couples little moment when he smelled something cooking, but all he did was stop in his tracks. Erens back was to him and he couldn't see his nephew due to the height difference. He had a bad feeling, it was obvious they were consoling each other. He tried to back away, but Levi's deep voice penetrated his thoughts.

"I heard you Kenny, come in and get what you need. You don't have to avoid me." Levi pulled himself out of Erens arms and turned back around to continue cooking for him and Eren. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"Uh" Kenny scratched the back of his neck, wondering why Levi was acting so nice to him all of a sudden. "No I'm fine"

"There is some coffee already brewed for you" Levi said, back to his uncle still. Eren was next to Levi, he pulled his phone out and scrolled through social media with a wary glance towards Kenny a couple times. 

Kenny nodded and walked tot he cabinet, grabbing a coffee cup. "Thank you" he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Your creamer is in the fridge, bought some more for you last night." 

"Thank you." Kenny grabbed the creamer from the fridge and poured some into his coffee, putting it back in the fridge when he was finished. "Levi, I'm sorry about-"

Levi looked at him then, the scar on his cheek from Kennys ring a grim reminder of their last encounter. "Forget it Kenny, it's fine."

Kenny shook his head, "No, Levi, it's not. I hit you, I had no right to hit you. I'm no better than your moms boyfriend."

"Kenny, I don't want to talk about this" Levi let out a distressed sigh that caught both Eren and Kennys attention. "I would rather have some more time to think about this, okay? I have some other things I have to take care of. But we can talk tomorrow, okay?"

Kenny nodded, "Okay, I look forward it."

Levi nodded and went back to cooking.

-

Levi was pacing frantically in his room, he was about to leave to go to Jeans home alone. His hands were gripping his hair tightly as he had an internal panic, mind foggy with one thing on his mind. Make sure Eren will be okay. 

Eren came back from the bathroom and saw his lover pacing and he frowned. Levi had changed into his outfit, black skinny jeans along with a dark blue shirt that hugged his waist. He had no weapons on him, not one, and Eren could only imagine how that must feel for someone like Levi to be unarmed. He approached him slowly, "honey.."

"I can't do this" Levi said quickly, too quickly for Erens liking. "I don't want to do this. Why am I involved? Why couldn't Jean handle this on his own?"

"Hey" Eren grabbed Levi's shoulders and spun the raven around, leaning down so he was eye level with him. "You need to calm down, do you understand me?"

Levi was startled by the sudden assertiveness in Erens voice, he immediately loosened his grip on his hair and looked him in the eyes. He took a couple deep breaths before nodding his head, "I understand." he spoke, calming down in seconds. 

"You are the only hope Izzy's got, and without you being there, this whole thing goes to shit. I hate you going there alone too, but I would have fought harder if I knew you would not be able to handle it. But you're Levi fucking Ackerman, you can do anything you set your pretty little heart too. We'll bust Reiner and Jean, I promise. You got this baby, I'll be watching over you the whole time. Erwin will protect you too. You are not alone."

"I believe you. But-"

"Good" Eren stood back up and grabbed Levi's car keys and handed it back to Levi, who hesitantly grabbed them. "Then you understand what is at stake if you panic now. I understand this is hard for you, but you always told me to look at the bigger picture, isn't that right?"

Levi nodded, "Yes."

Eren smiled that handsome smile and clapped Levi on the back, "then go get 'em tiger, I'll catch up with ya later."

The raven didn't move, he had a frown on his face. "Are you going to give me a kiss goodbye?"

"No, you need something to look forward too when you're done" Eren chuckled, "I'm going to fucking _wreck_ you when this is all over, you understand?"

Levi smirked at that, "yes sir" he said jokingly and tightened his grip on his keys, with one last glance to Eren he left his room, went down the stairs, and left the house. 

This was it. He was really doing it. 

When he arrived at Jeans house the last thing he thought he would see was Rico, Eld, and Jean having it out while everyone else silently watched. He closed the front door behind him and frowned as he locked it, looking over to the three of them. "What in the hell are you three fighting about?" he said blank faced, disinterested."Don't you understand we have more pressing matters to deal with today? Stop with your quarreling, it will get you nowhere."

Jean was standing in front of a very angry Eld and Rico, he was red in the face from anger but nothing could match how Rico looked. She was seething, and if you looked hard enough you could see the steam coming from her red ears. She had her weapon drawn, aiming at Jean while Eld did the same, except he looked more calm than she was, but his body was tense and ready to attack if Jean made the wrong move. Which, to Levi, it looks like he had a little while ago. 

Rico snapped her gaze over to Levi, who looked bored with the whole situation. She frowned, "Well hello to you too, Levi."

Surprising everyone in the home, Levi mindlessly made his way over to the three of them. He faced Rico and put his hand on her weapon, forcing her to lower it. Eld did the same when he received a stern glare from the teen. Levi turned around to face Jean, ignoring the fear settling in his stomach as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now you tell me, what in the hell is going on? What did you do?"

"It's not about what he did, it's about what he said." Rico snapped from behind Levi. "Tell him what you just told us Jean, tell him now. Now that everybody knows, Levi should know about himself being exposed."

"Rico-"

"Exposed?" Levi's nose flared, he peeked back at Rico then looked back at his ex lover. He glared, "what the hell did you do? What did you tell them."

Jean looked down at Levi, the one person who treated him like a decent human being all his life. The person who tried to make him better. The person he fucking destroyed. Jean sighed, "Levi.. I'm sorry."

"For what?" Levi was confused, since when does Jean apologize in front of this many people? He was about to ask another question when Eld spoke first, Levi looked at him.

"Rivaille.. is it true? Did Jean rape you and sell you for money to give to us?" his friend, comrade asked, anger laced within his deep voice. 

Levi felt his heart drop to his stomach at the question. No, no, no. They couldn't know about that, in order for this whole thing to work tonight everyone had to be on the same side. They were his friends.. he kept them safe by doing what he did. He had to believe that to survive all those years ago. Levi gulped and looked at Rico, who had a regretful look on her face when she saw her friend freeze up. 

He looked behind Rico and Eld to see everyone in the home staring at him with sadness and pity in their eyes. Everyone. He was once looked at with respect around here, and now he was just another victim. He felt heat rise up to his face and then all he felt next was anger. Levi swiftly turned around and raised his arm, railing back and decking Jean clear in the face, making sure to add another mark on his face addition to Erens from a couple days ago. 

Jean flinched as Levi hit him, he tried to diffuse the situation. He couldn't have Levi against him now, not when they were about to bust Reiner. He refrained from his habit of hitting the smaller man. "Levi, hold on-"

"How dare you?!" Levi exploded, shocking everyone else in the house. They've never heard the small man scream before, and they all thanked whatever God exists that they weren't on the receiving end of his wrath. "That was between us! Why the hell would you tell everyone about that? You fucking asshole! Why?"

Rico and Eld stood back, safety off their guns as they watched Jean closely. 

"So the day where we're supposed to rely on each other, you out me to everyone here?" Levi snapped, "Why? Why would you do that? Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Jean stood there and waited till there was a moment for him to speak. "It slipped out Levi, I didn't mean to say it. But now it's out."

Levi heaved, "You think everyone here is going to follow you now?" he asked, giving Jean a pointed look. "If they knew everything you've done to me, you think they would follow you?"

"Shut the fuck up, Levi-"

"No, actually" Levi stood straighter, an evil glint in his eye." Rico, Eld, aim your guns at him. Shoot him if he moves" he ordered. 

Rico smirked and aimed her gun at Jean, she hoped that the mother fucker would move. Eld did the same. 

Levi turned to acknowledge the rest of his friends. "You want to know everything about your fucking gang leader? You want to know how he can afford this house? How he can afford everything he's ever bought you all in the past?"

Everyone stared at him, this was his family. He wishes Furlan and Isabel were sitting amongst them. Levi was the youngest one here, but he's been through the most. He looked into all of their eyes, making sure everyone's attention was on him. "Jean forced me to join him if he paid for my uncles rehab treatment. You all knew that, but behind ever failed deal, behind the curtain he abused the shit out of me since I was fifteen. Beat me down to the ground, took advantage of me, and sold my body for money. He never loved me, he never cared about me like you all did. And all that money that I earned? All of that went to you, and I assume he told you it was a bonus check."

Petra had tears in her eyes, "No.. Levi.."

"We're so sorry" Gunter frowned. 

Levi kept his head held high, "I never went top side, I stole Jeans money and left. I ditched the gang without any of you knowing, and for that I'm sorry. But I couldn't deal with it any longer. Jean made me kill, he made me kill my best friend. He made me overdose on various drugs, and he forced me to overdose on Heroine and refused to send me to the hospital. Those "trips" I would take? I was locked in his room, told to stay quiet until he was finished with me." His hands were shaking now as he pointed to Jean, blinking back the tears in his eyes. "He ruined my life. That's why I left."

Petra was the first one to step forward and walk up to her friend, she hesitantly grabbed Levi's hand and intertwined their fingers. Levi looked at her, and when he did she reached a hand up to wipe away at a tear threatening to fall. "Hun, it's okay, you don't have to make excuses for why you left. We understand."

"Yeah Levi, you don't have to explain anything to us" Gunter smiled softly.

"We're glad you're okay" Came someone else. 

"Yeah Rivaille, everything will be okay"

Levi leaned into Petras touch, allowing himself to express vulnerability in front of everyone. 

"After tonight, Jean is free reign" Rico said, glare still etched on her face while she aimed at Jean. 

Jean raised a brow, "You want to kill me? Then shoot me now, you won't get another chance." he smirked, that crazy smirk he had when he came up with a plan. 

Something that Levi knew all too well. He wanted to lunge at Jean, but Petra and Eld had to hold him back by his arms. "You're a fucking monster, you should be dead by now. You're free reign once this shit is over, does everyone here understand that?"

"You think they'll follow you, Levi? You don't give them anything." Jean bit back, eyeing the guns aimed at him. "I've given everything to them, I gave them a home. You were nothing more than my little bitch."

"No, but they will follow me" Rico said, "Your time is done, Jean. Let me take over, I'll get everyone situated without your help. It's about time it was given to me, and after they found out what you've done to Levi, I doubt they'll accept any more money from you."

Jean bit his tongue as he stared Rico down, she was his first right hand woman when he started this gig. It was her for the longest time until Levi came along and replaced her. He looked over to the raven, who was behind held back by Eld and Petra by his arms. His face was flushed red with anger, nose flaring with a murderous gaze. If looks could kill, Jean would be dead ten times over. He could see Levi shaking in anger and in fear, Jean could read Levi like the back of his hand. Levi acts out in violence when he's scared, and that's exactly what he just did. 

Levi fought against Petra and Eld like a feral animal wanting to attack their pray. He wanted to rip Jean apart, he was stronger now, he probably could. He was so succumbed to his anger he didn't even register that Rico was talking, Eld gripped his arms tighter and Levi winced. 

"Calm down" Eld whispered into his ear. "Get a hold of yourself, Rivaille."

All he could see was red, "I may have been your little bitch" he snarled. "But they have more respect for me than they will ever have for you."

Rico crossed her arms over her chest and leaned onto one hip, gun pointed down to the floor as she stared at Jean. "I'm taking over once this is over. You're lead falls through tonight. It should've been mine years ago."

Jean paused but Eld spoke up from his position beside Levi, "I suggest doing what she says, because Levi here looks like he will kill you if you don't."

He looked down at Levi and sighed, he was frustrated. He just had to slip up today of all days. "You're just like the rabid dog on a leash I had years ago."

"Yeah?" Levi fought against Eld and Petra again, causing them to hold him tighter and he grunted when Petras nails pierced his skin. "I may have been your little bitch, your fucking rabid dog on a leash, but I'm stronger now. I could kill you if I wanted. I've killed before and I will do it again."

"Choose wisely, Jean" Petra glared at him. She was a cute girl, seeing her angry was something Jean had never seen before. He looked between everyone, all their eyes were on him. People he helped raise now looked at him with fear and anger. There was a reason why he never told them about what he did to Levi, his little punching bag. He put his hands up in surrender and stepped down onto his knees, looking up at Rico. 

"You'll take charge after the deal tonight, Rico. I'll hand my shit over to you. All I ask is time to get my shit out of here. I'm sorry"

Rico put the safety back on her gun and hummed, putting it back in her pants. "That's what I wanted to hear. But you shouldn't be telling me that you're sorry, tell him" she said, pointed to Levi. 

Jean looked up to Levi, who was still being held back by his friends. Eld had his arms while Petra held his chest, making sure he didn't hurt himself by lunging forward anymore. _He's unarmed,_ Jean thought to himself. If Levi was armed he would've been hit a lot harder, but Levi showed up unarmed into his home. That meant something to Jean. 

"I want to talk to Levi alone" he said. 

Petra froze. "What? No-"

"No" Levi growled. "You have done enough, it's over. If you want to even the score, you listen to my orders tonight. Let me take charge from now until tonight."

Jean stared into Levi's hard eyes, an unreadable look on his face. He had to get this drug bust done, tonight was the only night to do it. Even if he let Rico take over, Reiner would still be an issue for them. Reiner would hunt him down, hunt Levi down. He bit back any harsh comments and nodded his head, lowering his hands. "You're in charge tonight Levi."

"Tch" Levi shrugged off Petra and Eld, stepping forward so he was now standing in front of Jean. He looked down at Jean, for the first time ever, he felt powerful. He was standing over the man who abused him, who tortured him. He reeled his leg back and swung hard, his foot connecting with Jeans face. 

The gang leader fell to the ground, accepting the hit. He's done enough, he deserved all of this. He would let Levi kill him. 

"You mother fucker" Levi sneered, standing over Jean once more, watching him cough up a drop of blood. "Be ready, we roll out in twenty" He turned around then, walking to the back yard, ignoring the pleased smiles on everyone's face.

-

"I love you"

_"I love you too baby, is everything okay?"_

Levi was sitting in the back yard after the whole scene with Jean in the living room, he was alone. He needed to be alone and calm down before they left the house to do the deal. The first thing he did was to call Eren, almost in tears as he tried to calm his nerves. "Y.. Yeah, everything is fine" he said.

_"It doesn't sound like everything is fine sweetheart, do you need me there?"_

"He put me in charge of things tonight" Levi said, blinking back the wetness in his eyes. "I'm in charge of how it will go, he has to do what I say. Gang rules."

_"Alright honey, that's great. You can do this, but there's something else. Something you're not telling me. So tell me hun, you need a clear head to do this."_

Levi sniffled, giving away his emotional battle. "Everyone knows, Eren. Jean slipped up and now everyone knows what he did to me. A-About selling my body for money, the rapes, the beatings, everything."

Eren was quick to reassure his lover, _"they're your family, Levi. If anything, they're happy to know now so they won't stay with Jean, hopefully. You're strong, Levi. I know you will pull through tonight, I believe in you."_

The raven took a deep breath to calm down. "I almost killed him back there."

_"I understand, but you're not Rivaille anymore. You're Levi, you can do this. You're not a murderer, you're not a druggie, you're not a victim. You're going to be the victor after tonight, you're getting revenge for not only Izzy, but for yourself. I love you Levi, I believe in you. Erwin believes in you too, and I know everyone there believes in you. Stay strong baby, I gotta have Erwin sneak me in here so I have to go. Also, Erwin told me to tell you that you need to play a damsel in distress basically, like Jean forced you there. Say that Jean said he'll kill me or something if you didn't go with him."_

"Okay" Levi took a shaky breath. "Stay safe"

_"You too. Goodbye, love."_

Levi ended the call and buried his phone in his pocket, putting his head in his hands. He had to breath, this was it. He was actually doing this. After months of dreaming about getting revenge, he's finally doing it. This was up to him, he had to execute his plan as clean as possible. 

What he had to do was simple. Show up with Jean and look as if he was the victim, like he was dragged there, like Jean was holding something over his head. That is what Erwin told him to say if he was questioned, and to lie accordingly. Erwin was going to try his hardest to keep Levi out of jail but nothing was promised. It was all up to Levi's acting job. 

It's not hard to make Jean hate him, it would be hard for Levi's mentality, but it would be easy to piss Jean off. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Rico, "It's time" she said. "Jean is in the car waiting for you."

Levi nodded and wiped his hands on his pants when he stood up, he looked up at Rico. "I promise by the end of the night you don't have to worry about Jean anymore."

She just smiled and pulled him in for a hug, "I know you're up to something but I trust you, we all trust you. Save our asses, yeah? And get justice for Izzy."

"Yeah" Levi hugged her back, she was the only motherly figure he's ever had in his life. She was there for him through everything with Jean, for him to cry or to sit and play games with him when he was bored. "I promise."

Rico pulled away and clapped Levi on the back, "Go fuck some shit up, Ackerman."

Levi smiled and nodded, turning and walking into the house. Everyone turned their heads towards him and all he could do was give them a reassuring smile, waving his hand and then walking right out the front door to the drive way. He walked to Jeans car and opened the door, getting into the passengers side and shutting the door. He buckled his seat belt and looked at Jean. "You ready?"

"Gotta be" Jean said, he had put a bandage on his nose from Levi's hit earlier and a streak of satisfactory surged through Levi. 

He smiled smugly to himself and crossed one leg over the other, "then let's go."

-

"Shit" Eren cursed himself as Erwin didn't answer the phone yet again. He had used Kennys truck to drive himself to Erwins house, and after not seeing Erwins car he called the guy twice. He must be busy. So he left Erwins house and headed straight to the police station, but thought it was a dumb idea when he knew the police would be out scouting the south side by now. Eren turned the car around and raced to the south side, going way over the speed limit. It was almost seven thirty and he had to hurry, it took him forever to convince Kenny to let him use the truck since Levi drove his own car to Jeans. 

It took him less than twenty minutes to get to where the deal would be taking place. He parked the truck a couple blocks down and ran the rest of the way, panting heavily as he did. Wow, he really did have to work out. His heart was beating fast, worried to Levi and the outcome of this whole thing. 

Rounding another building, Eren spotted a undercover police car in the distance. He saw people in there but he didn't see Erwin, Eren was about to call Erwins phone one more time but then he heard talking in the building next to him. It was one of the abandoned buildings Levi pointed out to him awhile ago, and he peeked through the window. 

Inside was Erwin and about ten other officers. Eren frowned and he went to the door, opening it and walking inside, cringing as the door slammed loudly behind him.

The officers all turned their heads towards him, including Erwins. "Who are you?" One of the officers asked, "are you alright son?"

"My name is Eren Yeager. I'm fine. Um-" 

"He's with me" Erwin said, "Dok, would you mind getting him a bullet proof vest?"

Eren watched as 'Dok' walked to a basket they had and another man turned to him, this one tall and armed. "Answer the question boy, why are you here?"

"My boyfriend" Eren began and thanked 'Dok' when he was given a bullet proof vest. He strapped it on, "his name is Levi and Jean has something over him, he's supposed to show up tonight but he's harmless. Jean said he would shoot me if Levi didn't show up tonight, I just want him safe."

"Is this true, Erwin?" The man asked. 

Erwin nodded his head, "Yes Keith, everything he said is true. He'll stay with us, he'll stay protected. All he wants to do is look after his boyfriend, that is all. Understood?"

Keith nodded his head. "Understood. For now, we're waiting in here. We have snipers on the roof along with us in here, and others in undercover police cars. Your boyfriend will be perfectly fine, there is no way Reiner and Jean will be getting out of this without a fight. Our priority will be getting Levi to safety, Eren. You can count on us."

"Thank you" Eren nodded, "I appreciate it you guys, really."

"Course" Dok smiled, "it's our job after all."

Now, all that's left is for Levi to act out his part. 

-

Unknown to Jean, every cop was in position around the dealing site. He parked his car a block down from where the deal was and turned it off, looking over at Levi. "Ready to kick some ass?" he said, a grin on his face, 

Raising an eyebrow, Levi watched as Jean took the safety off of his gun and check his knives he had. Levi was unarmed to make it look like he was more of a victim. The only thing keeping his anxiety from overtaking him was the fact that the cops were right behind him on this. He nodded, "let's go."

They got out of the car, Jean leading the way as they walked towards the dealing site. He was loaded like he usually was during every deal, while Levi looked utterly defenseless so he could play his part. He walked side by side with Jean, trying his best to compartmentalize between personal and business. 

Both of them rounded a corner and found themselves staring into an empty alleyway. This is where the deal was happening, Reiner must not be here yet. Levi checked his watch, they were early. Five minutes to be exact, but he wasn't surprised, Reiner was sloppy. 

"He's not here" Levi said, "only thing we can do is wait."

"Now that we're alone, I need to talk to you." Jean said and turned towards Levi, who backed up. 

"What? Gonna try and beat the shit out of me?" Levi sneered, backing up again. He hated acting like this, but he knew he was being watched. He had to play this out no matter how much he hated it.

Jean shook his head, "No you shit, christ. About earlier-"

Levi glared, "Nothing you can say will fix this, so don't even try. I'm here for a reason and it's all because of you, you got me into this, let me do my job so I can go back home to Eren in fucking piece."

"Who says that you'll make it home" Jean snapped. "I'm in charge of here Levi, I will do as I please."

"I'm going home to Eren whether you like it or not, you fuck" Levi sneered and backed up again.

"Why you-"

"Oh! I must be in the wrong alley way or am I face to face with the infamous Jean? And is that you Levi? It's been awhile, how have you been?"

Both Jean and Levi's heads turned when they heard a deep voice. It was Reiner standing there and just the glint in his eyes was enough to send shivers down his spine. Last time Levi saw him he thought he was going to die, and he had to fight his instincts to go to Reiner and stab him on the god forsaken neck. 

Reiner walked up to them, he was a tall guy. Taller than Jean. He had dirty blonde hair and was more bulky than Jean could dream of being. He was pretty much twice Levi's size and build, it was a wonder that Levi managed to escape him all those years ago. Reiner could kill someone with his bare hands because of how strong he was. Levi was surprised Bertholt wasn't here, Reiner must have sent him off when he heard that the raven was back in town. 

"What? No chit chat? I can only assume you told those two to fuck off Jean, you've had it out for me since I almost killed your pet here."

If apologies weren't going to do it for Levi, hopefully actions will. Jean drew his gun from his pocket and held onto it, placing his hand on Levi's shoulder and taking a step forward. "You're here because I want you here, Levi is only here to draw you're dumbass out here. Gang rules Reiner, you shot one of mine, it's only fair if I take one of yours. Now, how about you? That would be an even trade."

Reiners laughed boomed through the seemingly empty alleyway, "You really think that will happen? You shot two of mine, so it's only fair that I take one more of yours." he kept walking towards them, drawing his own gun from his belt and taking the safety off. He locked eyes with Levi, who's eyes widened as he saw the gun. "And I'm thinkin.. maybe I should finish the job and take little Levi here, hm? I think that is a worthy trade."

Levi was panicking on the inside, he had no weapons, nothing to defend himself if Reiner shot him. Sure, he had cops behind him, but right here, he had nothing. He looked up at Jean, not entirely minding the hand on his shoulder. For some reason, he found comfort in it. Levi's entire body tensed as Reiner aimed the gun at him. 

Jean glared and kept his hand on Levi's shoulder, feeling the younger man tense beneath him. "No, you're not shooting him. You're not shooting anyone. Put the gun down Reiner, we can settle this right here right now."

"You sound honest Jean, I'm surprised" Reiner aimed his gun in between Levi's eyes, not missing the look of fear in Levi's eyes that he missed so much. He smirked, "you want a fair fight Jean?" he asked, a sadistic smile on his face. 

The gang leader looked down at Levi, who looked absolutely frightened. Like old times, Jean felt protective of Levi and he hummed, looking back at Reiner. "Even, no weapons allowed."

Reiner crinkled his nose, "Put your gun down Jean, I see Levi is unarmed, so you put your gun down."

Jean didn't hesitate to kneel, setting his gun on the ground and kicking it towards the man in front of them. He could see Levi's knees shaking slightly and he stood back up, standing close to Levi, trying to provide some sort of silent _I won't let him hurt you_ that he hoped Levi understood. "there, my weapon is down, your turn."

There was silence between the three of them, Reiners gun was aimed at Levi's face still and it had not moved. Levi didn't dare move either, afraid he will be shot. Reiner was evil, worse than Jean. He couldn't imagine what the blonde was capable of. 

"Levi has nothing to do with this" Jean pleaded, "shoot me if you want, but Levi isn't a part of my gang. He's not part of it, I dragged him here."

Levi looked up at Jean, confused. Why in the hell was Jean saying that? Surely this man wasn't trying to protect him now of all times?

Reiner noticed the tension between the two, "I can see that, but.. " he clicked his tongue and rubbed his gun against his temple. "It's only fair."

The next couple seconds were like a blur for all three individuals. Levi caught sight of Reiner aiming the gun at Jean now and he went to pull the trigger, and the next thing the man felt was a pain seer down his entire left arm. He grunted and fell to his knees, gasping out in pain as he held the wound on his arm.

Levi panicked, reaching down for his partner. "Jean, are you-"

"Reiner Braun! Put the gun down and your hands up right now!" 

Erwins voice echoed through the alleyway and Levi felt a rush of relief flowed through him, but before he could go to Jean or look towards where Erwins voice came from he was grabbed by rough hands. Levi let out a terrified cry and struggled until he was pulled against Reiners front, an arm around his throat and a gun pushed to his temple. His entire body froze. 

Fuck. 

The next thing he saw was cops exiting the building next to them, and at the corner of his eye he could see snipers on the roof. He gripped at Reiners arm, tears welling in his eyes at his state of panic. Levi wanted Eren, he wanted Eren to hold him and comfort him. He wanted Eren. Eren, Eren, Eren.

Erwin had came out from the building, gun aimed towards Reiner along with his comrades. Every officer was under Erwins command right now, he had made sure Eren stayed behind him and his fellow officers. Erwin had his gun trained on Reiner, eyes focused on his friend who looked utterly terrified, something he's never seen coming from Levi before. It was very unsettling. 

Eren watched from the sidelines behind an officer, worry etched all over his face. His Levi was in trouble, and he could do nothing but rely on Erwin. 

Levi looked down towards Jean, sniffling as he let his tears fall. "Jean? Jean?"

"I'm fine Levi" Jean groaned from the ground, blood was seeping from his wound and puddling on the concrete below him. He was sweating and out of breath, but he looked up at Levi, meeting his terrified eyes. "It's okay, it's fine."

The arm around Levi's neck tightened, causing the raven to gasp for air. "Shut the hell up you two."

"Reiner! Let Levi go!" Erwin shouted once more, taking another step forward. "You're surrounded, my team has you surrounded."

"Shut up!" Reiner screamed back, "shut up! shut up! shut up!"

Levi cried out when the arms tightened once more, his hands clawed at Reiners arm as he began to lose air and circulation. 

"Levi!" Eren cried out from the side lines, tears streaming down his face. "I'm here Levi!"

The raven gasped out Erens name quietly, he decided to focus on that and not being choked. He locked eyes with Erwin, his eyes wide and frantic. He was scared, he was so scared. He was going to die right here right now there was no stopping that. He let his tears fall, he would move in self defense but every time he did the gun pressed tighter to his head. 

Jean watched from the ground, helpless. He couldn't move, he was in too much pain. He wouldn't be surprised if he died, the bullet almost hit his heart. It barely missed, he could feel himself almost passing out. He watched as Levi's strength faded away and he hated that he couldn't move. "You're going to be okay Levi, it's okay."

Levi's eyes darted from Jean to Erwin, he couldn't see Eren. His vision began to blur, "R.. Reine.. let.. me go.."

Reiner held him tighter, the bracelet he wore was digging into Levi's neck and it would bruise later on for sure. He pressed the gun harder into Levi's head, making the young man cry out in pain. 

Erwin had to act fast or Reiner would kill his friend. He kept a blank face, "Reiner, there's nothing else for you to do. Give up now, let Levi go."

"What if I kill him" Reiners eyes were frantic, he looked insane. His grip on Levi didn't loosen. 

"Then you would be charged for murder along with assault and drug trafficking." Erwin concluded, he watched as Levi's face lose color and his eyes start to roll to the back of his head. "Reiner, now."

"T.. take the shot, Erwin" Levi chocked out, letting out a pained grunt when Reiners grip tightened and his air circulation was officially cut off. He clawed at Reiners arm once more, between that and the gun digging into the side of his head, he felt all energy leave his body. A couple more seconds later, Levi's vision began to cloud. His grip loosened and his arms dropped, his feet lost balance and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Levi's head fell back onto Reiners chest, and even though he just passed out, Reiner still didn't let go of him. 

If anything, Reiner's grip was so tight that he had the option of breaking Levi's neck. Jean watched in horror as Levi passed out, a frightened and worried cry of "Levi!" coming from him, but that was sufficed with a groan of pain as he remained useless on the ground. 

Erwin had begun to grow angry, "Reiner, if you kill him you will be in jail for life. Do you want that?"

"I-No.. I-"

"Then let him go! Let him go! Now!"

Reiner didn't realize how hard his gun was digging into Levi's head, he looked around at all the officers in a panic. This can't be how he goes out, he's worked too hard. He just hopes that nothing ties back to Bertholt. He pulled his gun away from Levi's head and aimed it at the blonde officer in front of him.

Erwin acted fast and as soon as he saw Reiners finger about to pull the trigger, he did as Levi said and took the shot. 

Eren watched in terror as the bullet landed in between Reiners eyes. The arms around Levi loosened and the raven fell to the ground, hitting his head hard on the concrete. He landed by Jeans feet, and Reiner fell down right next to him, his dead limp weight falling on top of both Levi and Jean. Jean cried out at the sudden weight, the pain in his shoulder increasing. 

"Send the paramedics over!" Keith Shadis called out. 

Erwin grabbed a crying Eren and they both ran to their friend. "Push Reiner off" Erwin instructed Eren.

The younger man nodded and knelt down, helping Erwin push Reiner off of Levi and Jean. He immediately went to Levi, leaning down and checking his pulse. It was faint, but it was there. "He's alive" Eren said and he cupped Levi's cheeks, "hey honey, baby, wake up" he cried. "Please Levi, come on."

No response. 

Jean looked over at Eren and Levi, "Is.. is he okay?"

"He will be" Erwin said sternly, Paramedics are getting their things and coming over. You were shot in your shoulder?"

"Yes"

"If you're talking now then you will be okay. No offense, but my main focus is Levi."

Eren kissed Levi's nose, his tears falling onto Levi's face. "You're going to be okay love, I'm right here. It's Eren, you're going to be alright honey, I love you so much."

It was then that Jean understood. Levi had fully moved on and found the love of his life, he would never consider going back to Jean ever. Not in a million years. It hurt Jeans heart a bit but he understood. He would never be able to apologize to Levi, he's done too much. Seeing Eren interact with Levi.. it was how he should've behaved around the smaller man. 

It was a blur after that. The paramedics loaded Jean, Levi, and Reiner into separate ambulances. Eren said goodbye to Erwin when the blonde said he had too go back to his team and his attention was focused on Levi. 

The raven was out cold, Eren was holding one of his hands while the EMT's did their job. Levi was still alive, that's what he had to focus on. He kissed Levi's knuckles.

"You did it, Vi. It's over."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please leave kudos!!!


	35. Tell Me It's Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tell me it's okay - gnash

A lot happened that night. Between Jean and Levi being rushed to the hospital, there wasn't much for Eren to say or do besides comfort his lover, who was still out cold and showed no signs of waking up. The ride to the hospital was chaotic, as the paramedics were doing their all to wake the raven up but nothing seemed to work. They asked Eren if there was any previously documented medical history and Eren had to tell them he didn't know, besides he was sick a couple days before.

While Erwin took care of things, Eren was with Levi while he was admitted into the hospital. Luckily for him, it was the same hospital that Isabel and Furlan were in. He got told to wait in the waiting room, but he had other ideas. Eren rushed up the stairs to the second floor to Isabels room, running past all the other doctors and nurses to get to his destination.

He flung the door open to Isabels room, not giving a damn who was in there. Luckily for him it was just the two of them, and Furlan practically jumped out of his seat when Eren slammed the door open. He gasped out, "Eren what the actual fuck?" 

"It's done, Reiner is dead" Eren said and he shut the door behind him. "Jean and Levi just got admitted and are in the emergency room, I came here to tell you what happened."

Furlans brows raised in alarm, "wait what? What the hell happened?"

Eren ran a hand through his hair, distress clearly heard in his voice. "Levi and Jean did the deal with Reiner. Erwin and the rest of the cops were hiding and watching it all go down, I was with them too. It seemed like everything was going okay but then Reiner ended up shooting Jean. Levi didn't have enough time to get away and Reiner got him, he choked the shit out of him."

"Holy shit" Furlans hands were sweating in anticipation, "Is he going to be okay?"

"Officer Smith, our friend, ended up taking a shot and killed Reiner. I didn't see what happened next, I ran over to Levi and tried to get him to wake up but he wouldn't. Normally someone wouldn't be out this long, Reiner must have damaged something because he was out cold the entire way here. Now all we can do is wait, but he's dead, Jean."

A smile etched itself on Furlans face, "So it's done? We got justice for Izzy?"

Eren nodded, "yeah man, we did. We did it,"

Tears welled up in Furlans eyes and he stood up, grabbing Isabels hand and leaning over, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She was still sound asleep in her medical induced coma, peacefully. "It's over Izzy, we got him. We're free."

Eren just smiled at the sight, deciding it was best if he left the room and let Furlan have some alone time with his girlfriend. He shut the door behind him and went back to the waiting room downstairs, sitting down in one of the uncomfortable chairs and waiting for a doctor to come get him. 

-

Kenny busted through the emergency room doors a half an hour later, causing heads to turn, including Erens. The Ackerman frantically looked around and he almost ran to the desk until his eyes landed on the lanky man that claimed his nephews heart. Kenny trudged over, a worried look on his face. "Eren, you tell me what's going on right here right now. Why is Levi in the hospital? What's going on?"

Eren flinched at Kennys tone but he didn't back down, he simply sagged against his chair and motioned for Kenny to sit down. Once he did, Eren began to speak. "When I tell you this, you have to promise not to be pissed. Not at Levi and not at me, right now isn't the time to be pissed."

"Just tell me Eren, tell me what's going on." Kenny encouraged. 

Then, Eren proceeded to tell Kenny the entire story. He started with when Levi got a call when they were at Maria, every little detail until they arrived here at the hospital. 

All Kenny could do was listen to everything Eren said, he was angry yes, but more so he was worried for his nephew. He didn't think someone like Erwin would go through with something like this, but that kid was smart and Kenny had to trust that he knew what he was doing. Kenny decided he needed to simmer down and he went to get him and Eren some coffee, bringing it back and formally apologizing to him about hitting Levi and causing them additional stress with everything else they had going on. Eren just smiled and accepted the coffee and apology, telling Kenny he was forgiven and that Levi forgave him a long time ago. That reassured the older man a bit, and they both silently waited for one of their names to be called by one of the doctors. 

Their wait didn't last much longer, a tall man in a white lab coat walked out into the waiting room with a clip board in his hands. He called out Levi Ackerman, and that made Kenny and Erens heads turn. They both stood up and walked over to the doctor. 

"Kenny Ackerman, Levi's uncle. This is Eren Yeager, his boyfriend." Kenny introduced the two of them to the doctor. 

He just smiled at them, "Hi, my name is Doctor Stroh and I'm Levi's doctor while he's here, which I can tell you won't be very long. You guys will be pleased to hear how he's doing."

Eren felt his hands shaking in anticipation, "how is he?"

"He's pulling through like a champ" Doctor Stroh said, "All I can tell the both of you now is he has minimal damage to the head, we bandaged up a small cut on the right side. His neck is bruised, if there was any more pressure onto his neck there is no doubt it would be broken. He is due to wake up in a couple hours, right now he is peacefully sleeping. I have to inform you that we will not know exactly how his vocal chords are until he wakes up, right now they're a bit swollen but that is normal. He will be in pain when he wakes up but we have provided a drink and easy food to swallow for him when he does. You can see him now, but I advise you to be quiet and let him wake up on his own. Once he wakes up, notify a nurse so we can assess how he is doing. Okay?"

Kenny nodded, "Alright doc, thank you."

Doctor Stroh just smiled at them, "follow me." He turned and lead them down the hall, opposite of the emergency room. This side of the hospital was calmer than the others, Eren noticed. They were lead to a room and the doctor nodded his head, "he's in there, let us know if you need anything, alright?"

Kenny stayed out to talk to the doctor while Eren walked into the room. He immediately went to his lovers side and grabbed his warm hand, looking him over. 

Levi lay there, breathing softly, the only sound heard was the heart monitor. His breaths were shallow and a little uneven, but Eren assumed that to be normal. The white bandages on the side of his head stuck out like a sore thumb, but nothing could compare to the dark purple bruises on Levi's throat. They weren't small, one was a light red and it was the size of Reiners arm. Eren brought Levi's hand up and pressed a kiss to the knuckle. "You did it, you fucking idiot. You did it" he chuckled to himself, tears brimming his waterline. "You're a god damn idiot, but Reiners dead. I'm so proud of you."

He was so proud of his lover, nothing could change that. Levi had a goal in mind and never gave up, didn't doubt himself once about making the plan happen. He took charge of the situation, even worked with his abusive ex to make this entire thing happen. Levi really was the strongest person Eren has ever met, and it made him swell with pride. His boyfriend did that, he got his hands dirty to get justice for his friend. 

That was the Levi that Eren knew and loved, and now it was time for everyone else to know that too.

-

It had been another hour when Eren decided to leave Kenny in the room with a sleeping Levi, saying he had to use the bathroom. When he left the room he went straight to the bathroom, and when he walked out he took a detour to the cafeteria. 

After getting some snacks he decided to head back to the room, however, as he did he walked past someone familiar. He back tracked and peeked into a room, eyes widening at the person laying in the bed. 

It was Jean. He was laying on the bed, handcuffed of course, but alive nonetheless. He was staring at the window, lost in his own thoughts. 

Eren knew he should walk back to Levi's room, but he felt something unwanted push himself into the hospital room. "Hey" 

Jean heard the footsteps before he heard Erens voice, he huffed and turned his head, looking over at the brunette. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Levi?"

"He's not awake yet" Eren crossed his arms and leaned against the door, eyeing the cuffs. "Reiner did a number on him, he won't be awake for awhile. He'll be okay though."

"I should've been smarter, but Levi outsmarted me this time." Jean chuckled darkly and looked down at his wrist that was cuffed to the bed. "You guys had it out for me along with Reiner, the whole time you two planned to have the cops there and I had no idea."

"It was all Levi's idea" Eren smirked, watching the man before him slowly crumble. "I just was there for him, but it was all him. From the very beginning he wanted both you and Reiner to eat shit. Now Reiner is dead, and I know for a fact you're going to jail."

Jean smiled sadly, "so I guess it's the end of the line for me, hm?"

Eren nodded his head, "yeah, it is. But I had a feeling you knew that already."

"I'm going on trial for all of this, but I already know I'm pleading guilty." Jean looked up to Eren, his skin pale from losing so much blood and his eyes tired. "You won't have to worry about any of this being tied to Levi, I'm confessing to it all."

"Hm" Eren cocked his head to the side, "I thought you would put up more of a fight about that?"

"I've had it coming." Is all Jean said, and he turned back to looking out the window. "I should've gone a long time ago. It was nice working with you Eren, you take care of the short fuck, you hear me? Make sure he lives an easy life."

That surprised Eren, but all he did was give Jean a small smile and nod his head. "I will, you don't gotta worry about that. I hope to never see you again, Jean" he said as he turned around, walking out of the room. 

Jean let out a small laugh, "Yeah, you too Yeager."

_

Kenny had fallen asleep on the couch while they waited for Levi to wake up. Eren had his head resting on the bed, holding his hand while he tried his best to stay awake. He was so tired, after everything that happened he felt like he could sleep for hours. 

The cops hadn't shown up to question them yet, Eren had to make sure to thank Erwin for that. The blond surely had something to do with that. He just sighed as he listened to Levi's shallow breathing and the heart monitor, closing his eyes and almost letting sleep over take him until he felt Levi's finger twitch. He snapped his head up, "Vi?" 

The ravens eyes were moving behind his eyelids, a small noise leaving his scorched throat as he began to wake up. Eren intertwined their fingers and kissed one of Levi's knuckles, "Come on Vi, wake up."

Levi's eyes fluttered open seconds later and he let out a raspy whimper as he accidentally looked into the light. He kept his eyes halfway open and he went to speak, but nothing came out. He reached his hand up to touch his throat, wincing at the pain in his neck and throat, and he coughed.

Eren watched quietly as Levi took in his surroundings. The whites of his eyes were tinted red and what little sounds he let out sounded painful. He squeezed Levi's hand tighter, "Hey lover, finally back with us?"

At the sound of Erens voice Levi went to turn his head, but a wake of pain flowed through his neck and he let out a hoarse pained cry that had Eren jumping on his toes. "Sh, honey, don't move too much" Eren coaxed and he stood up and towered over Levi so the raven didn't have to move his neck to see him. Eren smiled softly and cupped Levi's cheek, "Calm down, you're alright."

Levi sighed softly and leaned into Erens hand, letting Eren hold his head for a second to take some weight off of his injured neck. He blinked up at Eren slowly, his ears felt like they were ringing and his throat felt thick. Overall, he felt really uncomfortable but mostly tired. 

"How are you feeling?" Eren asked softly enough that Levi could hear him, but he wouldn't wake up Kenny who was snoring while he slept on the uncomfortable couch.

The raven wanted to say something but he knew he couldn't, his throat felt swollen and thick. Like something was clogged in his throat that he couldn't cough up. He let out a small sound of discomfort and that's all Eren needed for confirmation. He leaned forward and kissed Levi on the nose, "You did it Vi, Reiner is dead and Jean is going to jail. All because of you, you should be proud of yourself."

Levi smiled a bit at that and blinked up at Eren slowly. He felt so tired, like he could sleep forever. But the feeling to drink something was even stronger and me motioned towards his throat, eyes pleading, trying to signal that he wanted a drink. 

Eren seemed to figure it out and he got up from the bed, grabbing the water bottle on the counter the doctor gave him and a cup of fruit. He handed both to Levi, who looked more than eager to eat and drink something. He watched the raven open the water bottle and drink it slowly and then move onto the small fruit cup.

While Levi ate, he pressed the red button next to his bed to signal for the doctor to come back in. Seconds later Doctor Stroh came in with his usual polite smile, when he saw his patient was awake he welcomed him with a sweet smile. "Hi Levi, my name is doctor Stroh, how are you doing?"

Levi's gaze snapped up to the doctor and he tried to say something yet again but nothing worked, so he just held up his hand and give a thumbs down and then point to his throat, hoping that got his point across. 

The doctor smiled. "I understand, you're expected to have pain in your throat for at least another week of so. It depends on how fast your body heals. Can you point to me what else is causing you pain?"

Levi pointed to his throat, then his ears, the wound on his head, and his eyes too. The doctor explained to the both of them that this was completely normal. He told them that Levi's voice should be back by tomorrow after doing some tests, and that most will be normal by tomorrow. He then checked Levi's vitals to make sure everything was okay and after he finished, he left the room and wished them a good night. 

When Levi finished his fruit cup Eren threw it away along with the plastic spoon. He brushed Levi's hair out of his face as the raven drank his water, looking up at Eren with sleepy eyes. It reminded Eren a lot of a small child and he couldn't help but coo. "How about you rest up some more, hm? We can talk about things tomorrow."

He pulled the water bottle away from his mouth and put the cap back on it, screwing it shut and handing it to Eren. Eren put it on the stand by Levi's bed and looked back at his tired boyfriend. "Sleepy?" he asked.

Levi gave him a thumbs up.

"Sleep, love" Eren ran his fingers through Levi's soft hair, "I'll be here when you wake up."

-

Levi seemed to have more energy the next morning. He was woken up by two cops entering his room and Eren pleading them to give Levi a couple more hours of sleep, but they proceeded to say that Jean would be released soon and they really needed some answers. When Eren noticed Levi's eyes flutter open he turned around and disregarded the cops, pressing his cold hand to Levi's forehead. "Hey Vi, how you feeling? Could you try talking?"

The raven peered up at Eren, the color had returned to his face which is something Eren was grateful. At Erens request, the older nodded and, ignoring the thick feeling in his throat, he gathered up enough energy to mumble out a quiet "Eren." That made Eren smile, "Nice to see you got your voice back, hun."

"Feel better" Levi whispered hoarsely, wincing as he spoke. He reached a hand up to wrap around his throat softly, it felt warm to the touch. His eyes darted between the officers and then Eren, raising a brow. "Already?"

"I'm afraid Erwin couldn't give us more time, but you got a full nights sleep, thats all that matters" Eren said sadly, he cupped Levi's cheeks with the palm of his hand. "Kenny went out to get us some breakfast, but the cops just gotta ask you some questions, alright?"

"Okay" Levi said softly.

Eren handed the water bottle to Levi and while the raven drank, the officers introduced themselves. Eren recognized them from last night, it was officer Shadis and officer Dok, Levi didn't recognize them though, the only cop he had his eyes on last night was Erwin. Levi did not like officer Dok, choosing not to answer any of his questions but he took a liking to officer Shadis. 

"You said Jean would hurt Eren if you didn't go with him?" 

Levi couldn't nod his head so he responded with a quiet, "yes."

Officer Shadis hummed, "Is there anything else you would like to tell us while we're here, Levi? If not, we will leave so you can rest up."

"No, that's it" Levi rubbed at his eyes again, "I want to sleep again."

"Sure thing" He put his note pad away and nodded his head to both Levi and Eren, "You guys rest up now, you hear?"

Eren said goodbye to the officers and they both left, leaving the two of them alone. They weren't alone for long, as Doctor Stroh came to check on Levi again and moments later, after the doctor left, Kenny came back with some breakfast he picked up from down the road. When he walked in and noticed that Levi was awake, he set the breakfast down on the counter and sat down on the side of the bed. "Hey nephew, how ya doin'?"

Levi accepted the juice that Eren handed to him, happily sipping it through the straw he was also given. He looked up at Kenny, "I'm okay, I think" he rasped out. 

Kenny looked over Levi. The whites of his eyes weren't red anymore, the color returned to his skin and he looked much better than last night. He looked like he had more energy today, but the bags under his eyes told Kenny he had been going through too much this last week. "Levi, I gotta tell ya somethin'"

Eren had handed Levi some yogurt and a spoon, smiling when the raven accepted it. Levi had started eating and he looked up at Kenny, giving him a look as if to say _well are you going to tell me?_

The Ackerman wanted to laugh, even though Levi ate shit yesterday he still had the same attitude. "It's about a couple days ago, when I hit you.."

Levi's eyes narrowed as he took another bite of his yogurt.

"I stepped way out of line." Kenny began. "I am not your father, but I am your guardian. I was angry at what you were doing, and I realize I did not have all the information. Levi, I'm so sorry for laying a hand on you. What you did with Jean was idiotic, but from everything Eren told me, it was with the right intentions."

The raven stared up at Kenny while he listened, taking a break from eating his yogurt. He put his spoon down and looked down towards his lap, not making eye contact with his uncle anymore. Eren stood next to Levi's bed, hand carding through Levi's hair in a way of saying _it's okay._ Levi was grateful for him. He looked back up at Kenny, ignoring the pain in his neck. "I forgave you a long time ago, Kenny."

"What?"

"I said some bad things about you too, we get angry sometimes. And while that doesn't excuse you hitting me, I understand I can be an asshole sometimes. Just don't do it again"

Kenny gave Levi a side smile, "You can always hit me back."

Levi raised a challenging brow, "I let you wallow in self pity for days, I think that's enough for you." 

Eren just smiled at the two Ackermans while they continued to talk, bickering back and forth now. The more they spoke, the more Levi's voice had started to come back. It was more clear than this morning when Levi first started talking to the cops. As the two of them continued to speak, Erens phone had started to vibrate and he excused himself from the hospital room, answering the call from Erwin. "Hello?"

_"Hello Eren, I'm sorry, I couldn't hold the officers back from questioning any longer. I did my best."_

"No, it's fine. We answered all their questions and told them the fake story you aligned for us. I appreciate it. It was kind of funny actually, Levi did not like officer Dok, pretended the guy didn't even exist and only talked to officer Shadis."

Erwin chuckled, _"I'm not surprised. So I assume he's doing better?"_

Eren smiled, "Yeah. He woke up last night and couldn't get a word out, but this morning he's up and talking, he's got an appetite this morning too. Kenny is in with him now, he apologized for hitting Levi this morning and now they're teasing each other, so I assume they're going to be just fine."

_"Thats good Eren, thank you for looking after him when I couldn't be there. Jean is going to be released as soon as he is recovered and taken straight to jail, and as soon as the court date is set and we are updated on Levi's condition, the court date will be set."_

"So.. is Reiner really dead?" Eren was afraid to ask.

_"Yes. He died on site. If I did not pull that trigger, Levi would be dead right now."_

"I'm sure Levi wants to see you, Erwin. You should stop by when you're off duty today, maybe bring Hange too. He seems fine, but I know for a fact that he's itching to see you too."

_"I'll try my best. Get back to him Eren, I will see you later."_

Eren hung up the phone and was about to head back to Levi's room when a voice stopped him, he turned around and smiled, waving towards his new friend. "Hey Furlan!"

Said man smiled at Eren and came up to him, "Hey Eren, I came down to see Levi and to stretch my legs. Is he awake?"

"Yeah, come on, I'll lead the way."

Furlan followed Eren down the hall and to his friends room, they walked inside to see Kenny and Levi laughing and smiling, joking back and forth while playing chinese fingers. Kenny was urging the raven to drink his water and all Levi did was smack it out of Kennys hand with a teasing smile. When he noticed someone else in the room, Levi looked up with a glare, only for it to soften when he saw Furlan standing there. 

"Hey.."

Furlan smiled and pushed himself past Eren and to Levi, leaning down and wrapping his arms around his friend, pulling him in for a hug. Levi winced at the pain in his neck, but wrapped his arms around Furlan regardless. Furlan buried his face into Levi's hair, "Fuck, I'm so glad you're okay"

Kenny and Eren backed out of the room, allowing the two old friends to have a moment on their own. 

"Of course I'm okay" Levi whispered, nuzzling his face into Furlans neck. "I'm a fucking roach, I can't die."

Furlan chuckled wetly, "I was so worried about you, when Eren told me you were in the hospital I didn't know what to think."

Levi pulled away from the hug and looked up at Furlan, but winced as a sharp pain went down his neck. He clamped a hand over his neck and whimpered in pain. "ah, fuck."

"Eren told me Reiner had you in some choke hold, strangled you until you passed out" Furlan explained as he lowered Levi back onto the bed, a careful hand on his neck. 

"Where's Reiner?" Levi asked, "they haven't told me what happened, I don't even know anything about Jean."

"All I know is what Eren told me." Furlan sat down on the side of the bed. "After you passed out, your friend, officer Erwin, shot and killed Riener before the guy tried to shoot him. Jean is okay, he's recovering and will be sent off soon to jail before a court date is set."

Levi drew his eyebrows together, "Reiner is finally dead, hm?"

Furlan smiled, "yeah, because of you Levi, thank you. You busted Jean and he won't be able to hurt us anymore."

Soft, stormy grey eyes looked up at Furlan. "That's all I wanted. How is Izzy?"

That made Furlans smile widen, "doctor says she's recovered and should be awake within the week."

"Oh thank God" Levi smiled a real smile for the first time today at the mention of Isabel being alright, she was going to wake up. He couldn't wait to talk to her again. "That's great Furlan, you let me know as soon as she wakes up or I'll kick your ass."

"Rico gave my burner cell a call" Furlan said, "she told me what you did, how you beat the shit out of Jean and took control of the gang, and how Rico was handed the title of gang leader. She said shes going to make a lot of improvements, get everyone jobs and hopefully get enough money to go to the north side and eventually disband. This all worked out for everyone Levi, so thank you for everything you risked with Jean, I know it wasn't easy."

A blush coated Levi's cheeks and he looked away. 

Furlan frowned, "I'm serious Levi, you have no idea what you've done. This is a new start for all of us, a time for us to go our own paths and heal. All because of you, Levi. Give yourself some credit, do you think I could have done what you did? Or Petra? Izzy? Rico? No"

He poked Levi's chest, making the raven look up at him. "You're the strongest person that I know Levi, and you proved that within the last week."

Levi smiled slightly, his eyes had begun to droop slightly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah man" Furlan chuckled, he ruffled Levi's messy black hair. "You look tired as shit, get some sleep."

The raven leaned back against the bed, "Send Eren in?"

Furlan nodded, "Course."

It felt weird how fast the main medicine made Levi go from being wide awake to being overly tired. Furlan had left the room and sent Eren in and introduced himself to Kenny, deciding to take the guy upstairs and talk to him for a bit. Eren had came back inside the room to see a very tired looking Levi and he smiled, sitting on the bed and coaxing the raven to scoot over. He took no time to help Levi fall asleep by pressing soft kisses to his forehead, cheek, nose, and lips and carding his fingers through his hair. 

When Levi fell asleep, Eren had asked Kenny to go to the house and get him and Levi an extra change of clothes. Kenny left the hospital and that only left Eren with Levi. He was sitting down in the plastic chair next to Levi's bed and greeted doctor Stroh when he came to check on Levi, and after he left the room Eren had laid his head on the bed, holding Levi's hand and closing his eyes. He needed a nap.

-

Erwin finally was off duty later that evening and he contacted Hange, asking her to meet him at the hospital. She asked him why but there was no surprise when all he told her was that it was important. 

So now here he was, watching Hange pull into a parking spot and basically run out of her car with Moblit right behind her. "Erwin Smith you better tell me why I'm at a hospital!" she shouted. 

He nodded towards the doors, "follow me, I'll give you the brief details on the way."

Erwin lead them into the hospital and towards Levi's room, the only thing he told the two of them was that Levi had gotten hurt and Eren would explain more when they arrived there. Though, he had not expected Moblit to show up, he hoped that it wouldn't interfere with the story Levi and Eren owed him. 

He had received a text from Eren with the room number and followed the numbers on the doors until he found the one. Hange was holding Moblits hand tightly as they walked through the hospital, the three have never been here before. Actually, the only one who had been on the south side was Erwin and that was yesterday. 

Once they reached the room, he saw that the door was shut. Erwin knocked on the door, he heard nothing but then all of a sudden the door knob turned and opened to reveal a tired looking Eren Yeager. He was in different clothes this time, a pair of grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt, and he was rubbing his eyes. Well, it was a little late anyway so Erwin couldn't blame him. Eren looked at the three of them, "oh, hey guys" he yawned, "what's up?"

"That's what I've been wanting to know." Hange replied, "Is Levi alright? Can we see him?"

Eren nodded, "yeah, course. He's sleeping right now, doctor had to give him some pain reliever about an hour ago and changed his bandages. Please be quiet though, I'm trying to get him to have more than a couple hours of sleep."

"Yeah, sure" Moblit gave Eren a small smile, "I'll make sure Hange is quiet."

"Me?"

"Yes love"

Eren had opened the door wider and allowed the three of them to talk in. They all looked over at their friend, who was fast asleep on the hospital bed. The bruises on his neck were still prominent, red and purple colored but they weren't as bad as last night. The bandages on the side of his head were bright white as they were freshly changed, and he looked peacefully asleep on the bed. He was holding onto a sweatshirt that the three of them could only assume was Erens, and he was turned on his side and curled into a comma shape. Levi was changed into clothes as well matching Erens. Eren had walked back to the bed and sat down on it, grabbing his candy bar and eating it like he was before his and Levi's friends came in. 

Hange, Moblit, and Erwin simply stared at the two of them. Eren looked exhausted, while Levi looked like he was sleeping like a baby. They watched as Eren moved Levi's arm gently so the IV wouldn't be ripped out of his arm, and he laid Levi's arm back down on the bed. He looked up at the three of them, "You guys can take a seat, he's out like a light so we can talk for awhile."

The three nodded, grabbing plastic chairs and sitting on the side of Levi's bed. Erwin was closest to him, Hange next to him and Moblit on the other side. The two of them were holding hands, Hange was looking Levi over. She wished he was awake, she wanted to know what happened to her friend.

If Moblit was being honest, he didn't think he would be in a hospital room with Levi being the one injured. With all the threats that were directed towards him, Moblit thought _he_ would be the one on the hospital bed with Levi laughing at him. He wanted to laugh at his thoughts, but kept quiet because he knew how serious this situation must be. 

"Eren, I will not inform anyone at my work, but will you tell us more of what happened?"

Eren moved Levi's bangs out of his face, watching the ravens face twitch but ultimately stay asleep. He looked over at his friends, "To fill Hange and Moblit in, along with what you already knew, you guys will have to wait until Levi is awake."

"Is he going to be okay?" Hange asked curiously, "his neck doesn't look so good."

"He will be, yeah. Someone had Levi in a choke hold and that's where the bruises came from, he can talk just fine but his head and neck hurt like a bitch. I hope you guys brought something to do, because until Levi wakes up, I won't be explaining anything."

Just as promised, another hour later their injured friend had started to stir. Eren had to stop Levi from yet again yanking out his IV on accident. Levi had groaned, the dull pain in his neck making itself known and he coughed a bit. The brunette shushed him, telling him everything was alright and grabbing Levi's apple juice that Kenny bought, holding the straw to Levi's mouth and allowing the raven to drink. 

Mobilt, Hange, and Erwin stopped their conversation and looked towards the couple. They watched as Levi sipped the juice, Eren whispering encouraging words to him and to them, it looked like they didn't realize that the three of them were in the room. Eren kept his full attention on Levi, asking him if his throat hurt and Levi replied with a yes and went back to drinking. 

Levi must have noticed they were there because as he let Eren coddle him and serve him his apple juice while he held Erens sweatshirt in his hands, his eyes snapped over to the other side of the room where his three friends sat. He raised a daring eyebrow, basically saying _I dare you to interrupt._ They stayed silent and waited.

To Levi's surprise, they didn't interfere with his coddling and Levi looked back up at Eren, who was looking down at him with a loving smile. "Drink the rest of this hun, Kenny brought some soup for ya that I can hear up later." he said comfortingly, "You wanna stay awake or go back to sleep?"

"Awake" Levi rubbed his eyes tiredly, "I can feel Erwin, Hange, and Moblit staring at me. I can only assume they want answers."

"Only if you want too." 

"I know." Levi looked over at his friends, particularly at Erwin. "You all look like you're about to shit yourselves, I'm not going to bite, get over here."

Hange was the first one out of her seat, running over to Levi and went to hug him but froze, not wanting to hurt her friend more than he already was. 

Levi gave her a look like she was being an idiot and he reached up, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her down, hugging her close to him, ignoring the lingering pain in the base of his neck.

She hugged him back, "I'm so glad you're okay" she whispered into his ear and Levi just smiled, rubbing her back. 

"It's alright, Hange." 

Erwin and Moblit walked over to them, "Hey Levi" Moblit greeted.

Levi looked up at him and Erwin over Hange's shoulder. "Hey guys"

Hange pulled away from the hug and sat down on the edge of the bed, "So.. Are you going to tell us what happened?"

Eren eyed them, "Only if he wants to Hange, don't push him."

"I'm not that fragile" Levi spoke, mainly towards Eren. "It's fine, I'm okay."

The brunette looked down at Levi with a worried glance, but Levi just smiled and ruffled his hair. "Why don't you go and check up on Furlan and Izzy? I have a lot of explaining to do."

"I..okay" Eren sighed and leaned down, pressing a kiss to Levi's forehead. "Love you."

"You too."

And with that, Eren walked out of the room, leaving Levi alone with Hange, Erwin, and Moblit. He fumbled with Erens sweatshirt and held onto his juice, looking up at them, he didn't know where to start.

Moblit gave the raven a kind smile, "If you want me to leave I can leave."

Levi sighed and shook his head, "Hange can't bear this on her own, you can stay Moblit. You piss me off by just looking at you, but you can stay."

Erwin sat down on a plastic chair next to Levi's bed and looked towards his friend, "Explain when you're ready, Levi."

The raven looked between the three of them. Hange looked curious, Moblit looked gentle and Erwin looked as stoic as ever. Hange had a comforting hand on his knee covered by the bed sheet, and Erwin had rested his hand on Levi's arm. He let out a breath and began.

"It started when I found out Kenny was addicted to Heroine..."

Watching their faces while he explained everything was heart breaking, he almost didn't want to look at them. He kept his focus on Erens sweatshirt or the empty juice in his hand. They all stared at him with wide eyes, Erwin remained expressionless. It was comforting really, having his two best friends by his side while he told them his story. In a way, it answered their questions over the year and a half of knowing the weakened raven. They would be by his side no matter what.

Throughout it all, Levi was surprised that he managed to get through his story. He explained everything, from Kenny's addiction to last night getting head locked by Reiner. He even told them about Marco, along with Jean selling his body for money that he would give the other gang members. He ended up having a breakdown halfway when he got to the part about selling his body, which lead to Hange consoling him by holding and cradling him. Erwin was angry as he listened, allowing Levi to hold one of his hands and using his other to wipe the ongoing tears falling down Levi's pale cheek. Moblit was sitting on the end of the bed, a comforting hand on Levi's knee while he spoke, he felt like he was going to puke from hearing all the sickening things Levi had to go through. 

He felt overwhelmed as he told them his story from start to finish, but also in a safe place. He was in Hange's arms and holding Erwins hand, and he had a hand on his knee from Moblit whom he knew wouldn't harm him. Levi could always do more damage to Moblit than the taller man could do to him. For some reason, that eased him.

"Breath, hun." Came Hange's voice close to his ear, soothing, like warm honey. She threaded her fingers through his hair in a calming manner in attempt to ease her friend from any oncoming panic attacks. "You're okay, you're safe here with us. Would you like us to get Eren for you?"

Levi was in tears, from the pain in his neck and in his heart. His chest felt heavy and he tried to ignore it as he buried his face into Hange's shoulder. He clung to her shirt, sniffling. "I'm so sorry" he sobbed out, finally letting loose. 

"There's nothing you need to be sorry about, Levi" Erwin spoke up, he squeezed Levi's hand and moved so he was sitting down on the bed next to his friend. He wrapped his arm around Levi's waist, rubbing his back while he did. "None of this is your fault, it was all in good intentions."

The raven sniffled and looked up at Erwin, red rimmed stormy grey eyes staring up at him. He leaned into Hange's hand that wiped a tear escaping his eye, "If I.. if I would have just-"

"No, none of that" Erwin said assertively, his usual stoic face changing from that to pity. "No doubting yourself or wishing what you would have done. Everything is taken care of now, it's all over. We are all sorry this happened to you, you did not deserve any of that. But it has made you who you are today. You did all of that to protect the ones you love. We don't pity you, Levi, we admire you."

Levi coughed a bit and then looked up at Hange, who had handed him another juice from the package Kenny left for them.

She smiled and cupped his cheek while he drank, "He's right Levi, you're so brave for what you did. Even though that idiot ruined your life, beat you down to the ground, you still came back and dealt with him to get proper justice for Isabel. You're an amazing person Levi."

"You should be proud of yourself." Erwin said, Levi looked up at him. "We are all proud of you, even Moblit over here, whom I know you two fight a lot but he feels the same."

The raven peeked at Moblit, and even though he was being coddled by his two best friends and had tears in his eyes, Moblit could still tell he was defensive over the fact that he was in the room while he told his story. Moblit chose to be careful with his next words. "They're right, Levi. You deserve a good life, and I'm glad you're still here to live it."

Levi seemed satisfied with his answer and sniffled, leaning back into Hange's arms. He was so tired, it's been a long two days. "My throat hurts" he acknowledged, sipping at his juice again. "So does my head. I want to sleep again, and I want Eren"

Erwin rubbed Levi's back, "Course."

They signaled for Doctor Stroh to come and they called Eren back to the room. Levi was given some more pain medication and cuddled up with Eren on the hospital bed, falling asleep as soon as the pain meds hit. Erwin, Moblit, and Hange stayed in the room that night with the couple, later on being visited by Furlan, who introduced himself to everyone. They could finally put a face to the name in Levi's story, and it turns out they all got along great. 

Furlan decided to spend the night in the same room as all of them, he liked their company. They all got along well, joking around with each other, Furlan telling them stories about his life while he got some from them in exchange. Once Eren had fallen asleep as well on the hospital bed with Levi, the other four decided to stay in the room as well. As the night went on, Furlan went back to Isabels hospital room to fall back asleep. 

It was all over, now it was time for the ending to unravel. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am negative for covid-19 thank godddd


	36. When The Party's Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not gonna lie i was thinking about making a playlist for this book

_"Don't you know I'm no good for you?_   
_I've learned to lose you can't afford to_   
_Tore my shirt to stop you bleeding_   
_But nothing ever stops you leaving.."_

Something changes within yourself once you've experienced trauma. It has been proven by science that when a living being experiences a form of trauma, it etches itself onto your brain and you're forced to act differently because you've obtained the knowledge of that event. Whether it's stepping on a thumb tac and you watch where you're going, or you crashed your car and now you're afraid to ride in one. 

Everyone is scared of something, even the bravest person you know. Every single person you walk past on your way to the grocery store, pass in the school hallways, see online.. they have all had something happen to them that reflects on their personality, it made them who they are. 

Trauma changes you, it changes your personality. It warps it into something defensive and make's it even harder to enjoy your life. If you have help through your trauma, it can change you for the better. Some kids would even be considered self confident and spoiled. Take Eren Yeager for example. 

He grew up in luxury, everything was handed down to him from his school lunches made for him by his mother to his new model car he got for his sixteenth birthday. The teen had never even had a job before, he didn't need one since his parents gave him and Mikasa everything. They grew up spoiled. 

Unlike Mikasa, Eren had been bullied from a young age by boys at his school for being one of the only open kids at his school. Mikasa had told him to keep his head high, along with Connie and Annie, but at one point in his life he had fallen into such a depression that his grades slipped, causing his parents to worry and eventually send him to counseling. 

Because Eren had the option to go to therapy after all the bullying, his attitude changed. Yes, he went through trauma, but with the help of his counselor he learned how to handle his anger. He had started doing yoga and playing sports, even hung out with his friends more. Eren went through trauma that haunts him today, but because he had help and a very good support system, he had overcome it and he knows how to deal with it. He's happy. 

On the other hand, you have someone else on the opposite side of the country who had bad cards dealt to him left and right. This man goes by the name of Levi Ackerman, the one man who brought all of his friends together by being injured in the hospital.

In his life, he's been dealt nothing but pain since he was born. He's had to fight to survive. Unlike Eren, he had nothing handed to him. He had to fight, to kill, to sell himself for money to survive. He did not have a good support system, for the longest time he didn't have his uncle there for him since he was in rehab. 

He turned out rough around the edges, violent when someone touched him and he was depressed, suicidal at times. The trauma he went through changed his personality forever, he never had help, though he wished he did. 

But for personal reasons, Levi was glad he learned all the lessons that he learned at such a young age. It just means he's more prepared for the future. That was something he could count on for himself.

Speaking of the young couple, they were leaving the hospital. Levi was finally discharged with prescribed pain medications and a cloth cover for his throat so the marks wouldn't be noticeable. The couple wanted nothing more than to go home and relax forever, but sadly, their prayers would not be answered. 

After only a couple days that consisted of Levi sleeping because of his pain meds and Eren playing video games, they were called by Erwin saying they needed to testify in court. 

Breaking the news to Levi about going to court made Eren want to puke, he just wanted Levi to live in peace but now he has to see Jean _again_. He had managed to tell Levi, who simply glared and said a string of insults that were too vulgar for Eren to repeat. 

They both stayed to their own story about how Jean dragged Levi there, threatening to hurt him and Eren if Levi refused. Eren was to be a witness and Levi was to be played the victim. The case was _The State of California vs. Jean Kirstein,_ which means the lawyers believed their story.

However, it also means Jean didn't say a thing about Levi's involvement. Eren had told Levi about how Jean wanted to leave the raven out of it, but Levi would not believe it until he heard it come from Jeans mouth. 

And that.. lead to a conversation a couple days ago in the hospital. 

"I'm going to the bathroom" 

Eren looked up from where he was playing a game on his phone, "alright, once you come back we can leave and finally go home. Doctor says you need a lot of rest so looks like I'll be taking care of ya."

Levi had nodded and left the room, making sure his doctor wouldn't see him going the wrong way towards the bathroom, which was the only other room he was supposed to go too. He slipped past a couple nurses and rounded the hall, to see someone he had been meaning to see for two days now. 

Once he got to his destination, he walked into the room and crossed his arms over his chest. "Hey"

The person he came to see lifted his head, moved his hand a bit, causing the handcuff and jingle. He peeked up through his long blonde hair and widened his eyes. "Levi? What the hell are you doing here?"

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, my shoulder is basically healed. How is your throat?"

"Healed up, hurts to talk but it's fine. I'm discharging myself today, which is why I came down here."

Jean nodded his head, "That's good. I was worried about you out there, when you passed out I thought Reiner killed you."

The raven leaned against the wall, "I got told that officer Erwin killed him after I passed out."

"Yeah, that's right." Jean eyed the harsh marks on Levi's slender pale throat, "I saw you Levi, you were terrified, I've never seen you like that."

"It was different with Reiner." Levi sighed and looked down at his feet. "I knew you would never kill me, but with Reiner... when he shot you I thought you were dead.. and I would be next."

Jean chuckled, "It was smart of you to befriend someone in the police force, you outsmarted me this time Levi. I'm going to jail, I know it."

Levi looked up at that, "No doubt I'll eventually be testifying too since I've done a bunch of shit.. "

"I'm not bringing you up besides that stupid story you and Eren came up with" Jean bit back, "I'm not ratting you out, I owe you that much."

"W.. what?" Levi raised a brow, "why now, of all times? I thought you hated me."

"I do hate you, not as much as you hate me." Jean sighed, "For some reason I care about you, and if you would have died I would have killed Reiner myself. I've caused you a bunch of pain, the least I can do is take responsibility for everything in court. Including the shoot out at Reiners, all the way to Marcos murder."

Levi tensed up, "you would do that?" he looked down at Jean warily, "How do I know I can trust you to keep my name out of your mouth."

"You don't know." Jean stared into Levi's eyes. "But for once in your life, you can count on me to keep you out of trouble and not bring you into it. I'll take the blame for everything, as long as you stay with Eren. You have to promise me that."

"Since when do you care who I'm with?"

"Because I know Eren will do anything for you, he's perfect for you. I will only take the fall if you stay with him, and get on New York Time's Best Sellers."

Levi's mouth tilted upwards in a smirk, "I already have an idea what kind of book I want to write. You can count on that. Thank you, Jean."

The man smiled, "See you in court."

"See you in court."

So to say the least, the court date came by faster than they all wanted it too. And just like Jean promised, he pleaded guilty to everything he was accused of. When Eren, Levi, and Erwin testified they all said the same story they had rehearsed days before. Then when Jean told the story, his words matched theirs. 

Jean admitted to killing Marco, along with everyone else he had forced Levi to murder. 

He got life in prison for murder and drugs. 

Levi had taken a last glance at his ex before he was walked out of the court room in his orange jump suit, him and Jean had locked eyes and all Levi's eyes could muster was a distant _thank you._

Even though he couldn't speak, he understood what Jean's smile was for. 

It was his ultimate apology. He took the blame for Levi to live a better life. 

They raided Jeans home but they could not find anything, and the gang already knew their cover story for the cops. They had proceeded to say they did not know anything about drugs or murders, and the house was so clean the cops found nothing. However, they did shove drugs into Jeans car and everything related to Marco's murder, along with others. They too framed Jean without the gang leader knowing.

It didn't take long for the story to get on the news, which was something they all dreaded. However, this was California, and everything ended up on the news sooner or later. Marcos death was broad casted, along with Levi being kidnapped by Jean as the headline. 

As soon as it was over, they were bombarded by reporters. Erwin and another officer stood around Eren and Levi to keep them out of reporters, and Kenny was behind the two boys telling the reporters to fuck off. Eren and Levi both had sunglasses and hats on to avoid any pictures taken of their face and they clung onto each other the whole time. 

The same day after court, Erwin had a get together at his home with everyone. He invited Hange, Moblit, Armin, Levi, and Eren so they could have some time together. They all spent the night in Erwins basement, which was like a house to itself. There was a bar, a movie theater, a pool table, air hockey table, and a kitchen. 

Hange and Levi decided to cook dinner, the shorter man still had a cover over his neck so the bruises wouldn't show. She had asked him how he was feeling and he confided in her that he was still in pain and felt very moody with the pain medications, but other than that he was fine. Both of them shared a moment, Hange telling him that he was lucky he was alive and that led to Levi rolling his eyes and holding her close in a hug. 

The night went smoothly. Levi was feeling better as the night went on, him and Armin got along great throughout the night too. Levi was teasing him and Armin was clapping back with some creative come backs. The raven even acted out towards Moblit, who argued with Levi at most points during the night. He had challenged the raven to a game of pool, which Levi dominated at the moment he set the table. 

The gang challenged each other at pool with Erwin and Hange facing off, and Hange winning at the very end. After that they went to the movie theater and watched a marathon of Harry Potter, cuddling up to each of their significant others. It was so nice to have a day off from the drama. 

However, there was still something that Levi needed to do. The next day Levi woke Eren up in a frenzy saying he forgot to do something and Eren followed a frantic Levi out of Erwins house after saying goodbye to everyone. 

Levi had drove both of them down to the south side of town again, this time without feeling tense because Reiner is dead and Jean is in prison. Eren was surprised to see that they were pulling into the driveway of Jeans home, which looked a lot cleaner. They got out of the car to see that the yard was mowed and everything was cleaned up, new paint was on the white deck that once supported blood stains. Even the bushes were trimmed and Jeans car was nowhere to be seen. 

"Wow, it's so clean." Eren gawked when they got out of the car.

"If if's this clean on the outside, I wonder how it looks on the inside" Levi said, eyes round in amazement. 

After observing the front of the house, Levi and Eren walked up to the front door. Levi went to walk right in like he usually did, but was met by a locked door that required a pass code.

"The hell?" he raised a brow and looked up at Eren, "This door has never been locked, especially with one of those."

Eren just shrugged, unsure of what to think of the situation. 

The ravens anger got the best of him and he went to kick the door down, but clicking on the other side stopped him. The front door sprung open to reveal a tall and strong looking Eld, a smile on his face as he saw who was at the door. "Hey guys! Come on in! We're renovating the place!"

Levi and Eren both walked inside the stopped in their tracks, eyes widening at how clean the place looked. It even smelled nice. 

Some people were painting the walls, others were putting plastic over the furniture. All of the windows were open to air out the smell of paint. The kitchen was being cleaned too, the faint smell of bleach reached the couples noses. There were even some people working outside, picking up trash and cleaning the pool. It was like a totally different place.

Rico caught sight of them and smiled, walking over. "well, well, well, if it isn't the two hot boy toys of the block. What brings you guys back here? Thought you'd be living it up north side after Jean got arrested."

Levi shrugged, feeling naked without the material covering his neck, the bruises were showing whether he liked it or not. "Came here to grab something that I forgot, it's downstairs in the basement. Are you working down there or can I go?"

She shrugged, "We haven't touched the basement, we were gonna throw everything away but since you're here, go ahead and go through some shit before we do."

"Done" Levi said and he grabbed Erens hand, intertwining their fingers and walking past Rico and other gang members towards the basement. He gave them a simple wave when they greeted him but he had to get something. He opened the door that lead to the basement and walked down the stairs, Eren following right behind him. He turned on the light switch, the dull white lights illuminating the place of Levi's worst nightmares.

The walls were white but so rusted and dirty, blood stains all over them along with the floor. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years. There were cabinets on the walls along with weights, a mat with blood on it as well, and some random shelves filled with guns that were probably illegally purchased. On the other side of the basement was a mattress, and then a chair. The floor was coated of red blood around the chair and the wall next to the chair. Eren recognized this basement, it was the one in the videos he watched of the murders. It made him feel sick. 

In his head, when he looked at the corner, Eren could see the image of Jean and Levi shooting people that sat right there in that chair. And that mattress, it had blood on it and a single sheet, he wonders what that was for. It smelled like iron down here, and Eren didn't know it was the rusty pipes or the blood everywhere. This must have been Jean and Levi's torture chamber or something. 

Turns out, Eren wasn't the only person looking around. Levi's eyes roamed the basement, sure, he was here just last week with Jean grabbing guns, but he hadn't walked to the other side. Him and his ex lover did all their dirty work down here, whether that was torturing or all of the abuse. Jean would beat Levi down and make him stay down here, hence why the mattress was there. Jean would lock him down here for days, and when he would come back downstairs Levi would always be the one apologizing. 

It angered Levi how idiotic he was when he was younger, he can't believe he fell for all of Jeans antics. How he believed that abuse and manipulation were the key to having a healthy relationship, but now he had Eren, who has shown him the light in the dark. 

Levi let out a sigh and let go of Erens hand, walking down to the other side of the basement. He knew exactly what he needed, and he wanted to get it and walk right back out. He walked past the chair and to the mattress, plugging his nose at the horrid smell and using a piece of shattered glass to cut into the material. 

The brunette followed Levi, doing the same and plugging his nose as well. He looked around, this place gave him the creeps. He can't believe Levi spent most of his time here with that bastard. He knelt down next to Levi and watched as he cut the mattress open, gagging at the smell. "What is all that nasty smell?" he asked. 

"Who knows" Levi mumbled and he stuck his hand into the mattress, "God, this is disgusting."

"I feel like I'm going to puke, and there's so much blood down here."

"Some is mine, some is Jeans, I think everyone in the gang has drawn blood down here so that's no surprise." Levi sounded so nonchalant about it, but that's what happens when it turned out to be your life for a short time. That, and Levi was very good at compartmentalizing. 

Eren nodded his head and watched as Levi dug until he found what he was looking for. The raven pulled out four wads of cash. Eren raised a brow, "wow, that's a lot of money. Is it yours?"

"It's money I stored away when Jean made me sell my body for money, I saved it up for Isabel and Furlan" Levi explained and looked up at his lover, "They saved up a lot of money themselves, this should give them over the amount that they desire and they can leave and live their own lives."

"You care about them a lot, don't you?" Eren questioned, "you love them?"

"They're my family, of course I do. When I was in the gang, I did everything for them. I took every beating for them, sold myself for them, I did everything.. but I don't regret it. If it wasn't for me, Izzy would be dead and Furlan would be stuck here."

Eren kissed Levi's temple, "You won't have to do any of that again. Now, how about we get out of this basement and forget about this place, hm? We do have a summer vacation, how about we start that now?"

Levi smiled, "Yeah, that sounds nice."

They got up and left the basement, walking upstairs and shutting the door behind them. Petra noticed the look on Levi's face and she stopped painting the wall, along with everyone else. The entire gang stared at the wads of money in Levi's hands and they knew, they knew what he was doing. They also knew that they wouldn't see him again. 

Petra frowned and held the paint brush close to her, "Levi?"

At the sound of his name, Levi turned to look at Petra, but was shocked to see everyone else staring at him. Their eyes were full of sadness, all their mouths curved down into a frown of.. sorrow? He scowled, "the hell are you guys looking at me like that for?"

"Because we know what's going to happen when you leave." Rico said as she made her way over and stood next to Petra, resting her hand on the shorter woman's shoulder. "You're not coming back, aren't you? You came to get your hard earned money, and now you're off. We won't see you ever again, will we?"

Eren watched as Levi's face crumbled and his shoulders sagged, he wrapped his arm around Levi's waist and gave him a supportive kiss on his head. Of course that's what was going to happen, Eren was more than ready to leave, but he could tell Levi was hesitant. This was his family for a long time and he was finally saying goodbye. 

"It's okay, Levi" Petra gave him a kind smile. "You're destined for greater things than the south side, than Long Beach. This place has done nothing for you besides beat you down. With what you've went through.. it's okay. We're not mad at you for leaving."

"..Really?"

"We want you to leave, if anything" Eld chuckled, "you're like a brother to us man, all we want is for you to succeed. And you won't succeed here, we all know that."

Gunter smiled, "go live your life man, we'll be okay down here."

The others voiced words of agreement, and Levi wouldn't admit it, but it warmed his heart. Rico walked up to Levi and put her hand on his shoulder, "we'll miss you, squirt."

Levi felt tears well up in his eyes and he wrapped his arms around Rico, burying his face in her neck. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him too, returning the hug. She put one hand on the back of his head and the other on his lower back, just like she used too back in the day.

Their bond was undeniable, she was like a mother figure to him when he didn't have one. It saddened Levi that he had to leave her and the rest of them behind, but he had his own personal goals he had to achieve. 

Eren had grabbed a pen and some paper, writing down his and Levi's phone numbers and he handed them to Petra. "Put this up somewhere." he said with his signature cheery smile. "Give us a call at any time, we'll always pick up the phone, I promise."

Petra smiled up at Eren, "thank you."

"We're going to be leaving. Levi needs time to heal from everything that has happened here." Eren said, looking over at Levi, not missing the look of sadness on his boyfriends face as he hugged his friend. He turned back to everyone else. "Jean is in jail, Reiner is dead. No one is out to get you guys anymore, with Rico leading you now.. You guys will get out of the water soon."

Rico let go of Levi and held him by the shoulders at arms length, "You take care of yourself, do you understand me?"

Levi looked up at her, nodding his head. "Of course, you too."

She smiled and kissed his forehead like a mother would, "Love you, Levi."

The raven smiled, "love you too."

It was a bittersweet goodbye, but eventually Eren and Levi left the house without a second glance. They loaded up in the car and Levi started it, driving to the south side hospital. 

When they arrived, they went straight to Isabels room. They walked in and saw Furlan was sound asleep and Levi walked up to him, shaking him, and when Furlan asked what he wanted he was handed the wads of money. 

"What the.. where did you get this?"

Levi knelt down in front of the chair that Furlan sat on, "It's money I stole from Jean, I saved it up for you and Isabel. It's not much, but hopefully it's enough for you to take Isabel somewhere safe."

Furlans eyes widened at the news, eyes welling up with tears. "You didn't have too.. Levi.."

The raven smiled, "take it, love you man."

"Yeah Levi, love you too."

That night, Eren and Levi slept soundly on the couch. Kenny had put a blanket over them after they fell asleep watching Lord of the Rings. He even snapped a picture and sent it to the both of them. Eren was laying on his back and Levi was curled up into his side, they both had on their pajamas and were wrapped up in a fluffy blanket. For once, they looked peaceful like that, relaxed even. 

Eren woke up in the middle of the night to a text from Furlan. He groaned and unlocked his phone, checking the text and widening at what it said. 

To : Eren Yeager

From : Furlan Church

_Hey. Isabel woke up about an hour ago. Come to the hospital when you can._

That was an hour and a half ago. Eren shook Levi and told him the news, and he doesn't think he's seen the raven leave the house so fast in his life. They made it to the south side hospital in only ten minutes, which was weird considering it was only a half an hour drive but that's what happens when Levi drove. When they arrived the two of them practically ran inside, up the stairs, around the corner, and Levi abruptly stopped when he stepped into the room. 

"I..Izzy?"

There she lay.. well.. sat up, now. She was wide awake, looking small in her hospital gown. Her skin was pale and her hair was greasy, but she had that bright smile on her face. Her bright emerald green eyes glanced up and they sparkled when they caught sight of her big bro. She gasped and howled out in excitement.

"Big bro! You're here!"

Levi dropped his car keys onto the floor and ran to the bed, disregarding Furlan and Eren and wrapping his arms around Isabel gently. 

She hugged him back, her arms were weak but she held on as tight as she could. She buried her face in his neck and indulged in the protective manner he always possessed."I missed you."

"I missed you too." Levi whispered, "fuck, Izzy, I'm so glad you're okay."

Isabel pulled away and gave her friend a weak smile, "Furlan told me everything you did to put Reiner down and bust Jean, and with the extra cash you saved for us. And I want to thank you, Levi. For everything."

Levi ruffled her hair, sitting down on the bed and holding both of her hands. "No Izzy, you don't have to thank me for anything. You're my family, of course I would come back for you."

Her eyes wandered to his neck and when she reached up a hand to touch the bruises, she didn't miss how he flinched back unconsciously. She then rested her hand on his cheek, smiling up at him. "I hate that every time I see you.. you somehow have gotten into a fight or you have wounds on you. But Furlan assured me that you were perfectly okay, but I wanted to make sure."

The raven smiled softly, "Rico is in charge now, you have the option of staying and renovating the house and she'll get you a job, or you guys can leave."

"We'll figure it out" Furlan said with a smile on his face, "but I think it's time we part ways the right way this time, Levi."

Eren had a feeling this would be coming and he walked up to Levi when he saw the raven tense up, eyes widening in shock. He put his hand on Levi's shoulder and braced himself for the news Levi was about to receive. When he was last with Furlan, when Levi was out with Jean breaking into Reiners home, the man had brought it up. 

_"Wait what?" Eren questioned, "do you really think that's whats best for you guys?"_

_Furlan looked upset, "yeah, I think so. All we keep bringing to each other is damage. Isabel was so sad after Levi left, and I can't imagine how Levi must have been. I felt like the weight was on my shoulders after the guy left, because everything Jean put on Levi's plate was now moved to mine. But.. we need our distance. With a proper goodbye this time."_

_Eren grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, shoving him up against the wall. "No, you can't do this. You guys just got back together."_

_"And we were doing just time with the distance we had" Furlan shoved Eren off of him. "But it's something Isabel will need too, we all need to heal in different directions. I know you don't agree with it, and neither will Levi, but as the oldest out of all of us, I know what is right. And when I break the news to Levi you have to agree with me."_

_The brunette frowned and put his hands on his hips, "you can't do this to him Furlan.."_

_"Please, Eren" The man stood tall, despite being an inch shorter than him. "You gotta be with me on this.."_

_"..okay.."_

"What.. what do you mean? You can't possibly think we'll be separating after everything that's happened?" Levi questioned as a hand was placed on his shoulder, he turned to look up at Eren, who also had a grim look on his face and he frantically looked in between his two best friends. He then felt a flood of anger rush through his body and he glared up at Eren, finally understanding. "You knew. You knew this whole time."

"Please, Levi-"

"No!" Levi looked back at Izzy, grabbing her hands. "I just got you back, I don't want to be apart again. You almost died and now that you're okay.. you.. you wanna leave me?" He felt tears gather in his eyes as he watched Izzy look away from him, he looked at Furlan. "How dare you?" Levi stood up from the bed and backed away. "How dare the _both_ of you?"

Furlan looked devastated at his friends reaction, and he spoke before Isabel could get a word out. "Levi, of course we're thankful for everything you've done, you've done so much for us. You sacrificed so much for us. But that is the same reason that we must be apart now, not forever, but for a very long time. We need to go on our own paths.. and we need you to be okay with that."

"But I'm not. I'm not okay with it." Levi was standing now, looking in between Eren, Isabel, and Furlan. "I wanted to be with you all now, we could stay together again. Hang out all the time, spend time together.. and you want to leave?"

The ravens hands had started shaking and Eren felt bad for him. These were his two best friends, he came back to protect them just to end up separated from them. Eren looked away from Levi, an unsettling feeling in his stomach. His lover could not catch a break. 

"Levi, I think we should leave so you can calm down" Eren finally spoke up and he walked to his lover, who had oncoming tears that were yet to fall. He grabbed Levi's hand, giving it a small squeeze. 

Levi went to yank his hand away and argue with Eren, but Isabels voice stopped him. 

"Levi stop acting like a child!"

That stopped him in his tracks and he looked over at Isabel sheepishly.

She was fuming. "I get you don't agree with it, but I was in on the decision too. It will be good for all of us, and it's not like we will ever see you again."

The raven held tightly onto Erens hand and wrapped one of his arms around Erens, leaning his head on his arm and sniffling, blinking the tears away.

Isabel stared Levi down, but spoke gentler this time. She's never seen him upset like this before and after all he had went through, she hated herself for yelling at him. "We still think of you as our brother, nothing will ever change that. But.. having some time apart with a healthy goodbye could be best. We all share most of the same trauma, so.. having time apart to experience a new life will be a good way of us healing from that trauma."

"Tch" Levi's voice sounded wet and he clung onto Eren tighter. 

"We don't want to be away from you either, but we feel as though it's needed." Furlan sighed, "don't be mad at us or for Eren for knowing, I made him keep it a secret. Please understand us, Levi."

Levi simply stared at them, took a deep breath and-

"Okay.. we'll go our separate ways..."

_"But nothin' is better sometimes_   
_Once we've both said our goodbyes_   
_Let's just let it go_   
_Let me let you go..._

_Quiet when I'm comin' home and I'm on my own_   
_I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that_   
_I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that.."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> three more chapters and this book is done, wowza  
> leave kudos :)


	37. The First Steps Towards Healing

After the visit at the hospital, Levi wasn't the same. Kenny and Eren would try to get the raven to come outside and play soccer and football, but he wouldn't budge. he just sat on his laptop and typed for hours on end. Sure, he felt bad for not communicating with his family, but he had other things to deal with. 

In a few short days, Eren would be going back to Michigan to see his family for the summer. Levi would not be going with him. Instead, the raven is choosing two random weeks to fly over to Michigan just like Eren did with him. The brunette tried to change Levi's mind and tell him to come with him right away, but Levi said no because he felt the need to stay at home for some reason. 

Every time he left California he felt like he was a whole different person, like his life here in California didn't happen. It was nice for a time, relieving in fact, but when he came back home he realized how much his life sucked over here. 

He thought back to seeing Jean for the last time, watching him escorted by officers and sent to prison for life. It was weird because the person who caused him so much trauma, his biggest heart break, was now put away where he couldn't be near Levi anymore. 

For some reason though, Levi couldn't get Jean out of his head. He couldn't stop thinking about Reiner earlier either. The man had almost killed him in a choke hold only a couple days ago, and Levi hated him. If Erwin wouldn't have shot and killed Reiner, Levi would have gone after him for even touching a vulnerable part of his body. 

Some things never change. 

He stayed holed up at the kitchen table, typing away at his laptop. It was a story idea, although he was simply coming up with different plots and characters. He was trying to piece something together and it took up a lot of his day. He's been like this the moment him and Eren got home after saying a very rough goodbye to Isabel and Furlan. 

Eren hated what they did to Levi and it wasn't fair, but he kind of understood. The three of them needed to heal by themselves, not with each other. They might all dwell on the past instead of moving forward. It angered Eren to the point where he wanted to punch the hell out of Furlans face, but it wasn't his business. 

And every time Kenny would try and ask, Eren would distract him and talk to him about something else. Of course, Eren told Kenny what happened because the guy deserved to know what was going on with his nephew. Kenny had just sighed and promised he wouldn't say anything, but no promises after Eren left for Michigan. That caused Eren to roll his eyes and throw the football hard, hitting Kenny in his big head. 

The next day, it was around noon when Levi finally got off his laptop. He walked upstairs and when he heard the shower running he sighed, of course Eren was in the shower, him and Kenny were out playing soccer for a good two hours. Levi walked into his room, shutting the door behind him and sat down on his bed. 

He felt bad that he's been ignoring Eren since they got back from the hospital early this morning. He was angry about not seeing his friends again, pissed off even. Levi had gone straight to his laptop when they came home and the look on Erens face had resembled a kicked puppy.

Levi shrugged off his shoes and grabbed his remote, turning the tv on. He felt like he needed to sleep, but he also wanted to stay awake. He needed to apologize to Eren for being an asshole all day, his lover didn't do anything, he didn't deserve to be treated like shit. 

While he waited for Eren, he decided to watch My Hero Academia, a show Hange got him started on awhile back. 

Eren had stepped out of the shower and dried himself, putting new boxers on and a fresh pair of basketball shorts. He used the towel to dry his hair and then borrowed Levi's blow dryer, drying his hair the rest of the way. He used some more skin care products before grabbing the rest of his things and walking back to Levi's room. He still thought the raven was downstairs, so when he opened the door and saw Levi sitting criss-cross on the bed in a trance as he watched a show, he was surprised to say the least. 

"Well hello there, love" Eren said with a smile, he put his dirty clothes in the laundry basket. "I didn't know you were up here, you finished on your laptop?"

"I was writing a book, or.. a plot.. characters, I think."

Eren perked up at that, "Oh, really? Can I read it sometime?"

Levi looked up at Eren from where he was sitting on the bed, "Yes, but it's not done."

"Yeah, I expected that. Books take a long time to write" He walked back over to Levi and cupped the ravens cheek, "How are you feeling, baby?"

"Not good" Levi frowned as he leaned into Erens hand, "I just.. "

"You want Izzy and Furlan."

"..yeah.."

Eren sat down on the bed beside Levi, bringing the raven onto his lap and wrapping his arms around him. He felt Levi rest his head on his shoulder and hold him tight, resting against his warm body. "I know hun, but this is what is best for you guys. And like they said, it's not forever. You'll be alright" Eren stroked at Levi's cheek with his thumb, then moving to his eyebrow and tracing over it with the same finger. "I know you miss them, and no doubt they miss you too. But you have to take some time to heal."

Levi's hands went to his neck where he could still feel the marks from Reiner, "Healing takes too long, I want everything to be fine now."

The brunette chuckled, "You've been through a lot Vi, I'm surprised you're still talking with me."

"Because I'm Levi fucking Ackerman, that's why"

"Course, how could I ever forget." 

Levi smiled at that and tightened his hold on Eren, "I love you."

Eren kissed Levi's head, "I know, what were you watching?"

"My Hero Academia" Levi responded, looking back at the TV. "It's Hange's favorite show so I figured I would start it, it's pretty good. We should stay inside today, my neck hurts and I'm tired."

"Speaking of your neck, have you taken your pain pills?"

Levi glared, "no, I don't like pills."

Eren leaned back and grabbed the bottle that sat on the night stand, and brought it to Levi. "Well too bad, I don't like seeing you in pain."

"Tch" Levi snatched the bottle from Erens hand, grabbing two pills and swallowing them dry. He handed the bottle back to Eren, who leaned back once more and put it back on the night stand. He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, "better?"

"Much." Eren smiled, "Maybe tomorrow we can go to the beach?"

"Yeah sure" Levi leaned against Eren once more and sighed softly, letting out a yawn.

Eren leaned his cheek on Levi's head, looking up at the TV. "Let the binge watching begin."

They stayed in Levi's room for hours watching Tv, once Levi had fallen asleep Eren switched to playing games on his xbox because he honestly wasn't really into the show. He was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head set on while Levi was cuddled in the sheets behind him, snoring away. 

As he was playing he talked to Connie, Mikasa, and Annie on the head set. It had been a minute since he's talked to them and it felt like none of this all happened. They had no idea what happened, and if they did, they did not bring it up. His parents have not gotten in contact with him, and Eren just prayed that the news had not reached Michigan.

 _"How've you been man? Haven't spoken in a hot minute."_ That was Connie. 

_"Yeah idiot, what the hell?"_ That was Annie. 

_"Are you guys even surprised?"_ That was Mikasa. 

"Oh shut up you guys, everything is fine, so chill" Eren chuckled, "and I can't talk much, Levi is sleeping and he might attack me if I wake him."

 _"How is that cranky asshole anyway?"_ Connie spoke.

"He's doing fine too, California has been an experience that's for sure."

He talked with his friends for a little while longer and looked back to see Levi was starting to wake up. Levi raised himself up with his arms and rubbed his eyes, looking towards Eren and crawling over to him. Eren held an arm open for him and Levi accepted, "You're fucking loud Eren, shut your big ass mouth so I can get some beauty sleep."

 _"Is that Levi I here being as bitchy as ever?"_ Came Connies voice.

Levu must have heard him because he let out a "tch" and grabbed the mic connected to Erens head set and spoke into it. "Yes it is you fuck."

_"Well I didn't miss you one bit."_

"Same goes for you." 

Mikasas voice came through this time. _"Hey there cousin of mine."_

"Distant cousin" Levi corrected, "How are you?" he watched Eren die in the game and he glared at his lover, a disappointed look on his face. 

"What? Don't look at me like that you midget" Eren bit.

Levi raised an eyebrow, "Are you challenging me, Yeager?"

 _"In case you haven't forgot, we're all still here"_ Annie's bored voice came through, sounding smug since she was the one who killed Eren in the game.

Eren gulped and looked away from Levi and back at his screen, "Jeez Vi calm down."

"I'll have you know this 5'2" midget can kick your ass" Levi rolled his eyes and shoved Erens shoulder playfully, making the brunette smile, glad Levi was acting back to normal. Eren just laughed and kissed Levi's forehead, "I know baby."

 _"If you guys are going to be all lovey dovey you can leave"_ Connie sounded annoyed.

Mikasa joined, _"Yeah, you don't hear Annie and I getting that way, maybe because we're more mature."_

Levi got an idea and nipped at Erens neck, tracing his warm tongue on Erens tan skin with a teasing smirk. He wanted to have fun, and teasing his lover was the first step into getting what he wanted. 

"U-um" Eren tried to ignore the feeling of Levis' teeth sinking into his neck, easily leaving a hickey. "We're not doing that, I have no idea what you're talking about."

 _"Oh yeah? Well I don't hear Levi talking anymore, so where else could his mouth be?"_ Connie teased.

"Nowhere, we're just sitting"

Levi frowned and sat down on Erens lap, straddling him and locking eyes with Eren as he put his face back in his neck, kissing down Erens jaw to the base of his neck, kissing over his adams apple. "Eren.. " his deep voice said, he could feel Eren's cock harden under his ass. 

Eren gulped and wrapped an arm around Levi's eaist, eyes fluttering shut as Levi began to create friction by grinding against his clothed cock. He heard Levi let out a small moan and he knew their cover was blown.

 _"Eren, log off of you two are going to fuck"_ Connie said as he went after Mikasas character in the game.

"We- we're not-"

 _"Ereeen..."_ Levi purposely moaned into Erens ear, making sure everyone could hear him through the mic. He traced his hands down Erens chest and down to the waistband of his sweat pants. 

Eren eyed Levi warily when he felt Levi's hand dip into his sweats, "Levi no."

He smirked, "Levi yes" 

The brunette gasped out when the raven grabbed at his erect cock and he immediately shut off the head set, logging off of his game and tossing both the head set and controller down to the ground. He gripped Levi's wrist tight and took it out of his pants, but moved his own hand down to squeeze tight at Levi's hip. Levi whimpered but the sound was muffled by Erens lips pressing against his own, causing his eyelids to flutter shut.

Eren smiled and pulled away, biting Levi's swollen lip in the process and releasing it. He looked down at the raven, held in place with his bare hands wrapped around his wrist and hip. "You're little minx, you know what?"

Levi smirked and moved his hips once again, wanting to laugh at the change in Eren. He loved how easy it was to rile him up. He went to do it again but Eren dug his fingers harder, making him wince. "What? I can feel you, I know you want it too. I don't know about you but I can really go for your cock right about now."

"You're a slut, Levi" Erens voice lowered in a way that could have the raven cumming in an instant, he tried to move, but was held in place. Eren smirked, "You want my cock?"

The older dragged his tongue across his bottom lip, "Yeah" 

"Fuck" Eren let go of Levi's wrist, "kiss me, lover."

The smirk on Levi's face enlarged and he leaned forward, pressing his lips against Erens but let out a shriek when he was flipped over onto his back. Levi opened his eyes to see Eren on top of him with a teasing smile on his face. "Got cha"

Levi raised an eyebrow and spread his legs wider for Eren so the dominant could get more comfortable, "I can easily throw you off of me, I hope you understand that."

Eren smiled and leaned down, pressing a loving kiss to Levi's forehead and purposely brushing Levi's crotch with his knee, smiling when Levi grimaced. "I know, but sometimes its fun acting stronger than you. You're a fucking badass, let me compete for once."

"Not a chance" Levi rolled his eyes, "now are you gonna fuck me or not? You're making me dry as a fucking desert down here"

That put Eren into action. He snapped into his sex crazed antics and plunged down, kissing and licking at Levi's jaw and quickly making the raven melt into the bed sheets. He felt Levi's hands move into his hair and he moved, grabbing the ravens wrists and holding them above his head, biting down at a hickey he just made and chuckling as Levi moaned out his name. 

Levi felt as if he were on cloud nine as Eren attacked his jawline, "oh fuck, are you leaving marks?"

Eren laughed, "course I am, think about who you're talking too."

The raven moaned and jumped when he felt Erens hands slide into his sweatpants and under his boxers, grabbing at his hardened cock. Levi instantly spread his legs wider and bucked his hips up, causing Eren to hold his wrists tighter.

"Have patience, lover. Don't be greedy."

"Eren please"

"Please what?"

"Fuck me, Eren"

The hand in Levi's boxers was wet from the ravens pre cum so he used that as a personal lube, hoping it was enough before teasing Levi's hole. He looked up at Levi's face to see his eyes flutter shut, and he slipped his finger in. He watched as Levi winced at first, but then relax moments later and grind down on his hand. 

Levi was still held in place on the bed, at Erens mercy. He always was whenever they did their stuff in the bedroom, he let Eren take full control because Levi is on control of so much. It was nice letting go and letting Eren take charge, that's why the raven let Eren tie him up and tell him what to do.

"Ngh" Levi groaned when Eren eventually slipped another finger inside of him, "Why are my clothes still on?" he wondered with a moan attached at the end of his quesion.

Eren shushed him, "because I plan on making you cum more than once, and since you interrupted my game, you'll have to earn stripping your clothes"

Levi started to sweat as Eren curled his fingers inside of him, hitting his prostate and making Levi arch his back. ""So what?" Levi groaned when another finger was added, he struggled against Erens home and looked up at his lover, red in the face. "You want me to finish like this? Get my clothes dirty?"

"That's the plan" Eren chuckled and scissored his fingers inside of Levi, watching Levi squirm underneath him and sweat, peeking up at Eren through his half lidded eyes. "You look so good like this Vi, wow." he said, he didn't lose eye contact with Levi until he poked at his prostate. 

Levi felt it coming and he dug his back side into the mattress, "oh god, Eren, fuck fuck fuck fuck" 

Eren smirked, "you cumming Vi?"

"Yeah, fuck" And to think, Eren hasn't even touched his dick yet. He felt the feeling of bubbling in his stomach and he groaned, tugging at his arms that were restrained by Erens much larger hand and crying out as he came in his own pants.

The brunette watched as Levi started to convulse when he continued to finger him, even after he came. He could feel how wet it was inside of Levi's boxers and he smirked, watching the wince on Levi's face as he became more sensitive. "Fuck, you're so beautiful."

Levi glared up at him, trying to close his legs but couldn't since Eren was still in between them. He whimpered as Eren jabbed at the sweet spot again and his murderous glare turned into pleading, "Eren, fuck, am I.. ugh" he bucked his hips up, trying to pull away from Erens hand but stopped at the glare Eren was sending him.

"I've made you cum like four times in a short period of time, I know you're not finished after just one. I know you're sensitive, I just like watching you like this"

If Eren were anyone else, Levi would have kicked their ass for toying him like this. He trusted Eren with everything they had, and with what they've been through for the last week, Levi would always count on him. Whether it was treating him like a princess after sex or around his abusive ex. He loved Eren more then he would like to admit, but he had a feeling Eren knew what he felt. 

He could barely register what was happening when he felt the feeling build up in his stomach once more, he had tears in his eyes from how sensitive he was and he was practically begging for Eren to make him cum again. He could feel it, the feeling in his stomach and then-

A hand wrapped around his throat, a hand that he used to welcome, Levi loved being choked during sex. But for some reason, this time felt different. He felt fear course through his body and it prevented him from finishing off. Levi wasn't good at expressing emotions, so he doubt Eren would notice and he tried to wrack his brain to find a way to convey his feelings to Eren. To make Eren stop. 

_"We should have a safe word just in case something like this happens again" Eren spoke as he ran his fingers through Levi's hair, smiling softly down at the ravens almost sleeping form. "I'm sorry for pushing your limits, Levi, I really didn't mean too. We have to be more careful, the both of us."_

_Levi was practically swaddled in Erens blanket, munching on some chocolate and some juice and resting on top of Eren. His legs were still shaking a bit and after he swallowed the chocolate, he looked up at Eren. "I don't want my mouth covered, I did not like that" he stated._

_Eren nodded and continued carding his fingers through Levi's hair, "course love, I should have asked anyway. But in case this sort of thing happens again, let's do what I said and establish a safe word. For the both of us."_

_The raven shrugged his shoulders and offered Eren a bite of his chocolate, but the younger declined. "No thanks, I've already eaten and I tired you out, you need some energy if you're going to attend your lecture."_

_"I don't want to go to this class, it's so boring" Levi sighed, "I can't wait till summer, only two weeks left."_

_Eren ruffled Levi's hair, "come on, work with me here lover, safe words. Know of any?"_

_Levi looked down at Erens chest sheepishly, "I uh, I don't even know what a safe word is."_

_That should have been obvious to Eren since Jean seemed like the guy who didn't care about Levi's limits, he never explained to Levi what a safe word was. He knew Levi could kick his ass if Eren went too far, but he knew deep down all Levi wanted was to please Eren and everyone else. It's why Levi didn't say anything when Eren covered his mouth while they were fucking, because he wanted to please Eren. However, Eren noticed how rounded with fear Levi's eyes showed and he immediately pulled out and hugged the raven close to him._

_"Basically, if you say this word, I will stop immediately. We'll stop to make sure that you're okay. It's like you saying you've hit your limit and there's nothing wrong with that, it's safer anyway. We should have had one a couple months ago when I started tying you up." Eren explained._

_Levi nodded in understanding, "I don't know what words would classify for one though."_

_"something that would kill the mood would help" Eren encouraged, his hand went to rubbing Levi's back now. "But it can be anything but you have to remember it, understand?"_

_"Yeah" The raven thought for a moment, turning to look at Frozen what was playing on the TV, and when he finally came up with something he looked at Eren for approval. "Iceberg?"_

_Eren wanted to face palm, "You wanna use a frozen word?"_

_"Well it will certainly put me out of the moon, you cock fuck" Levi blushed and took a sip of his juice Eren gave him. "That's my word and I'm not taking it back."_

_The brunette chuckled, "alright love, if you ever feel like I've done something wrong or you've reached your limit, or you simply want to stop, just say iceberg, I won't be mad and I'll stop."_

_"I love you" Levi puckered his lips._

_Eren leaned forward and kissed his lips, "love you too."_

Levi let out a terrified noise that Eren had never heard before and he looked up just in time to lock eyes with his boyfriend, heart dropping to his stomach when he heard that word he almost forgot about tumble past his swollen pink lips. 

"I-Iceberg. Eren, Iceberg! Stop!" 

He let up on Levi's throat and took his fingers out of him the moment he heard Levi's safe word. They've never had to use it before, not once had Levi been scared of _him_. Eren went to reach out for Levi but the raven acted in self defense, in pure terror, and smacked Eren away and using his small size to his advantage and pushing Eren away with his feet. 

"Get away from me, get away from me!"

Eren grabbed the hand sanitizer on Levi's night stand and cleaned his hands, ignoring one future problem he would have had. Levi would never forgive Eren if he touched him with his fingers that were buried deep inside him. Once he finished he looked back at Levi and was stunned. 

Levi, his Levi, whom he loved with his entire being, had his knees brought up to his chest and his hands pulling at his hair, tears in his eyes and a terrified look on his face. He frowned and went to approach Levi but stopped when Levi flinched back, and all he could think was this was how Levi looked when Kenny hit him last week. 

"Oh.. baby.. it's okay, can I touch you?"

He was tugging hard at his hair, it wouldn't be a surprise if he pulled some of it out. Levi sniffled and blinked, allowing a couple tears to fall. "Please leave. Leave me alone. I'm sorry" he sniffled. 

Erens mouth dropped, "Levi please-"

The raven looked Eren in the eyes, bringing a hand up to cover his throat. "Please get out. Get out. I need to be alone. Please."

It was then that Eren understood what he did wrong. He was so used to Levi having that teasing smirk whenever they were fucking and Eren chocked him. It was routine to them, and for a little while Eren forgot that Reiner was the last one to touch the ravens neck and almost kill him. Not to mention Levi had to witness Jean being shot right in front of him. 

All Eren could do was what Levi wanted him too, he was stupid for thinking things could go back to normal so quickly. "Alright love" he said and he stood up from the bed, "if you need me I'll be downstairs, alright?"

Levi let out a sob, "go"

He wanted to badly to hold Levi, he's seen Levi upset before and every time it breaks his heart even more. But he knew when Levi was set on something he should not push, he grabbed his sweatshirt he wore today and set it down on the bed in front of Levi's feet, knowing the raven loved wearing his clothes when he was sad. He stood back up and went to the door and without taking a second glance at his boyfriend, Eren walked out of the room, leaving him alone like he wanted. 

Once Eren left the room Levi fucking lost it. He let out cries continuously, cursing at himself and the monster that caused this issue for him. If Reiner wasn't dead Levi would kill him. He doesn't know why he freaked out so much, he trusted Eren, so why did he all of a sudden panic?

Even after everything Jean put Levi through, he was still able to have sex without a problem but he get chocked out once by Reiner and he can't even do that shit in bed. It angered him, how dare he be such a coward? Had his past taught him nothing?

And seeing the look on Erens face, like a freaking kicked puppy. Levi doubted Eren knew what was going on, the raven didn't even know what was going on with himself. He was a fucking pussy, and to think, he was once the best thug on the south side. Everyone who once feared him would laugh at him now, crying on his bed because his boyfriend, the person he trusted most, touched his neck. Eren didn't even add any pressure, just a lingering touch and Levi freaked.

He sniffled and squeezed his eyes shut.

_I'm so sorry, Eren._

Erwin and Hange knocked on the door later that day after getting a frantic phone call from Eren. Kenny was at work during all of this so he was not home, it was just the young adults. After awhile Eren opened the front door and breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw his friends at the door. "Hey" 

Hange gave Eren a gentle smile, but if she was being honest, he looked rough. His hair was messy and his eyes were red and puffy, obviously from crying. She spoke, "is it okay if we come in?"

"Uh, yeah" Eren opened the door wider and sniffled, "please"

They both walked inside and Erwin looked down at Eren, "You shouldn't be upset with yourself Eren, this isn't your fault."

He turned to look up at Erwin with new tears in his eyes, "I just feel so bad, about all of this. I just want him to be happy."

Hange put a hand on his shoulder, "how long has he been locked in his room?"

"Uh" Eren wiped his eyes, "two hours now, I tried knocking a million times but all I could hear was him crying. He never answered me but I know he's still awake."

She nodded, "okay. Erwin and I are gonna try and check up on him, you stay down here and fix that pretty little face of yours. Alright?"

Eren nodded, "okay, thank you."

While Eren fixed himself up, Erwin and Hange walked upstairs to Levi's room. They were silent, they've never dealt with an Ackerman breakdown before so this would be something new. Once they reached his room, Erwin knocked on the door. 

"Please go away" Came a strained voice on the other side. "I want to be alone, Eren"

"It's not Eren, honey" Hange said, "It's me and Erwin, Eren called us cause he's worried about you. Can we come in?"

There was silence for awhile before Levi spoke up again, "I'm sorry"

"There's nothing for you to be sorry for" Erwin reassured, "come on Levi, open the door. Eren isn't here, you can talk to us."

Both of them could hear foot steps inch closer to the door until it unlocked and was finally opened. Levi stood in front of them, hair fucked up and eyes blotchy. There was something new, hard scratch marks that broke the skin on his neck. It looked like it hurt like a mother fucker. Hange was the first to say something, "How are you feelin', shorty?" she spoke in a calm voice, like her friend was a ticking time bomb. 

Levi looked in between the both of them and then did something they both did not expect, something out of character for him. His lip wobbled and he burst into tears again. 

Erwin opened his arms and pulled Levi into them without a moment of hesitation. Hange watched with sadness in her eyes as her best friend practically wailed into Erwins chest, leaving tear marks on Erwins blue shirt. 

"It's okay Levi, Eren told us what happened, it's perfectly okay for this to happen" Hange said from beside them. "It's a form of PTSD, it's not a surprise considering all you've been through. This is a normal thing, everything is normal, Levi."

The raven sniffled and looked up at Hange, tears still spilling from his eyes, landing on the floor and Erwins shirt. "I'm so fucked up." he sniffled, "I can't get a fucking break, all I want is a fucking break. I don't understand, what did I do to deserve this?"

Erwin shushed him by carding his large fingers through Levi's hair, subconsciously fixing it. "With the cards you have been dealt, this is what you have to deal with and I'm sorry. We know this week has been rough for you, along with your past-"

"I wish I had fucking parents" Levi said, peeking up at Eren. "Maybe if I had some they would have taught me these life lessons and shit. I love Kenny, but he wasn't exactly the parent material. I wish I had my mom" more tears welled in his eyes once more. "I wish my dad.. I wish he would have wanted to be my dad."

Erwin hugged Levi tighter, "I know Levi, but you have us. You have your own make shift family that will do anything for you."

"You're our best friend, Levi. We're your family too" Hange spoke up. "It doesn't matter that you're parents aren't here, I like how you turned out. You're pretty freaking rad to me, right Erwin?"

"Course" Erwin smiled, "and I know someone else who agrees with that statement as well."

Levi looked up at him, "who?"

"Me" 

The three of their head turned to see Eren, who had a kind look on his face as he only sought out his lover. "I'm sorry for freaking you out Levi, you're healing and I got lost in what we were doing. You don't have to be afraid of me, although I would understand. You've been through so much.. and I never thought I would be one of those people who hurt you. And for that, I'm so sorry."

Levi clung to Erwin as he listened to Eren and at the end of his apology he managed to let go of his friend, "Did you hear everything?" he asked.

Eren nodded, "I was listening in, I couldn't help it, I'm sorry. About your mom and dad, Eriwin was right. This isn't an ideal family, but it's yours It's ours. Do not let your thoughts tell you any different, okay?"

"I'm sorry for freaking out on you."

"No, none of that" Eren tsked, and held out his hand towards Levi. "It's a process, alright? No hard feelings, I promise."

The raven walked up to Eren and took his hand, sniffling and wiping his eyes. He was brought into Erens chest, wrapped up in strong arms. He clung to Eren, sniffling once more. 

Eren hugged him tight, looking over at Erwin and Hange, mouthing a 'thank you' and they both smiled, nodding their heads in acknowledgement. He pressed a kiss to Levi's head, "let's wrap your neck love, then we can have a movie night? Have some relaxation time before I go back to michigan?"

Levi looked up and nodded, a small smile finally on his face. "Okay."

Later that night as the four of them watched movies and had snacks, Levi got a text on his phone from an unknown number. He unlocked his phone and read the message through.

From : (574) *** ****

To : Levi Ackerman

_Hey man, I got your number from Rico. With the money you got us, we bought two new phones. Izzy is sleeping right now but we got our car back from Jean, Rico gave it to us. We worked on title work today. Little update on us, but we're leaving and going to Arizona, I have some family there._

_But something else, I'm sorry for springing that goodbye on you last night and for telling Eren to keep it as a secret. I love you, man. This goodbye is something the three of us need. One day we will see each other again, but don't take this goodbye as us not wanting to be your friends anymore, we need to go out and explore the word just as you have._

_Izzy and I love you, Levi. Make the most of your life and thank you for everything you have done for us. Theres nothing we can do that will ever amount. You're destined for amazing things, you clever shit. Use that big brain for something good._

_Love, Furlan and Isabel._

_ps. (we got yours and erens number from rico, hope you dont mind :)_

_my friend, my brother, my partner in crime at one point._

_Live it up._

_Goodbye._

The raven smiled and saved the number, not bothering to reply. He couldn't put his feelings into words, so he simply cuddled back into Erens chest. He felt Eren kiss his head and he smiled, pulling the blanket to his chin and looking back towards the tv. 

It's time to make his life his own. 


	38. Come To My Window

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after this book i am writing another one that will be three parts   
> here is the link, it is also eren/levi   
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/24939994

"Oh come on Vi, I bought that just for you. Eat it."

"No"

"Why are you being an ass?"

"Are you kidding me? My ass fucking hurts"

Eren just facepalmed. They had just finished fucking a little bit ago, it went much smoother than last time. Eren steered clear of Levi's healing neck and focused on his jaw instead. He didn't tie Levi up either, but still dominated him just as much. 

Right now they were laying on the bed together, Eren had cleaned Levi off with the cum towel and throw it in the laundry. The raven was dazed for awhile, letting Eren wrap him up in a robe and feed him some fancy chocolates the brunette bought while Levi was sleeping the night before to build his energy back up. He also had some juice as well, he read on some bdsm cites that it was good to give. 

However, Levi was being an ass. Even after Eren had put a robe on him and rolled him over on his stomach, putting some lotion on his bottom. He had gone rough on the smaller man but if Levi enjoyed it, he would do it any day. 

"I know it hurts, that's why I'm putting lotion on it you asshole" Eren laughed, "Just shut up, eat your chocolate and drink your juice."

"I'm not a child"

"You're right, but you're also exhausted and we still gotta go to the beach later so you need energy. So for once, just listen to me."

Levi sent Eren a glare and put the straw to his lips, sipping at his juice and taking a bite of the chocolate. He had to admit, it was really good, he just loved giving Eren a hard time. It was his favorite way of getting his lovers attention. 

"That's better" Eren spoke when he noticed Levi eating, "sometimes I forget that you're older than me when you act like this."

"It's nice sometimes" Levi admitted, "to have you do everything, make's me feel like a kid again."

Eren looked over at Levi as he continued to rub the lotion in, "Well you don't gotta worry about a thing, love, because I love taking care of you. Especially after you let me face fuck you, I'll treat you like the prince you are."

Levi chuckled and looked back at Eren, sipping at his juice. "Speaking of that, my jaw hurts like a bitch too. Think we can take it easy before we go to the beach."

"Sure thing" Eren put the lotion on the night stand and pulled the robe down over Levi's bruised bottom. He scooted up and grabbed one of the chocolates, eating it and humming as he tied his own robe tighter so it wouldn't come off. "Want to take a shower or chill out here, I can put on a movie?"

"Mm" Levi finished his juice and handed it to Eren, who then threw it in the trash. "Stay here, we can shower later after the beach." he moved his leg and winced, "ah, fuck."

Eren laughed and ruffled Levi's hair, "lay your head in my lap so you won't move much."

Levi did as Eren said, "think I'm bruised?"

"Heh, you'll have some marks"

"I hate you"

"Love you too, asshole"

_

Just as promised, later that day Eren and Levi went to the beach together. They brought some food with them and tanned for awhile after they were in the water. Levi even brought his surf board he kept in the basement and surfed, trying to show Eren how and laughing whenever the brunette fell into the water. 

Eren couldn't get the hand of surfing and it cracked Levi up every time, practically collapsing in laughter whenever Eren would tumble over and fall into the water. It caused Eren to throw Levi into the water and wrestle around with him. 

People were probably looking at them like they were crazy. Two grown boys playing around in the water and making a lot of noise, but they couldn't care less with everything that they had been through in the last two weeks. 

Letting go was what they both dreamed of. They ended up face timing Erens mother and Father, saying hi while on the beach. Carla commented on how tan the both of them got and that Eren needed a hair cut, and Levi agreed and tugged on it, making Eren cry out in pain. 

After talking to Carla and Grisha for almost an hour, they hung up the phone and enjoyed their last day together in California. They played in the water some more before they decided to lay on the beach and watch the sunset together. They were on a big towel together, dressed in shorts and each without a shirt. The both of them munched on some snacks as they watched the sun set, some music playing from Levi's phone that was set aside. 

It was the first actual moment of peace they have had since they arrived in California. Eren was sitting up and Levi was next to him, leaning his head on Erens shoulder with his sunglasses perched on top of his head, copying Eren. They were eating strawberries and cut up pineapple, and drinking some apple juice they took from Kenny's half of the fridge. 

The music was soothing for the both of them, it was a playlist Hange sent to him earlier that day when she heard they wanted a relaxing night and it perfectly fit the mood. The sunset was beautiful, the sky was a mix of blue's, yellows, pinks, purples, all on the horizon of the beautiful dark blue colored beach. Eren had taken some pictures of the landscape with his phone, saying it would look really cool when he would edit it. 

He flipped the phone to snapchat and went to the selfie camera, and told Levi to smile once the filters hit their faces. Surprisingly, the raven actually smiled in the picture and Eren saved it right away, posting it on his story and also to his instagram. He also sent the picture to Levis phone, and the older saved it as his background for his lock screen. His home screen was of Eren shirtless while he slept and he would never change that. 

Eren wrapped his arm around Levi's shoulders and rested his cheek on his head, smiling when Levi brought a strawberry to his mouth. He bit the strawberry and swallowed while Levi put the uneaten part back into the bowl. He then grabbed a piece of pineapple and fed it to Eren again, who gladly ate it. Eren always had the bigger appetite between the two of them, and he had to admit that feeding Eren was actually very satisfying. 

"I love you, Eren"

Those three words meant so much more now considering everything the two of them had been through. It was the same three words Levi has told him before, but now.. even after being on the brink of death.. even after things went to shit, Levi and Eren's bond never broke. Through it all, they stayed together and worked like a team. 

It was a form of love that the both of them needed. For Levi, it was safety. For Eren, it was closure. Both of them have come from different paths and now that they've crossed, they would never leave each other. They were their own perfect halves, nothing could ever change that. No fight, no climax, nothing. Their bond could never be broken because of the strength that it holds. 

Erens heart fluttered at those three words, he felt like he would never get used to them. How, after all Levi has been through, he can say that with such ease.. Eren would never know. To him, getting the raven to trust him after Jean, that was something he was proud of himself for. He has proven himself worthy of providing Levi a healthy stable shoulder to lean on. 

He looked down at the smaller man in his arms, who was staring at the sunset. This man had been through hell. He's been violated to the utmost horror, he's been forced, addicted, screwed over, everything one could possibly think of. He's seen his mother murdered by the man he was supposed to see as a father, and he was a thug. One of the most feared people on the south side lead the police to the biggest drug bust. 

The brunette couldn't be more proud of him, he had so much hope and courage. But now, it was time for him to take his own steps to moving past these traumatic events. And Eren would be with him the entire way, cheering him on from not the sidelines, but right beside him. 

"I love you too" he whispered back, just as much meaning behind the words. He couldn't express his love for Levi, he could not put it into words or compare it to anything. It was too big. 

Levi looked away from the setting sun and up at Eren, munching on a piece of pineapple. He swallowed his bite and smiled, not just his lips curling up, but showing teeth just like in the picture. It was then that Eren realized he was the only one who would be blessed with seeing Levi in such a relaxed and happy state and it warmed his heart. 

The younger man reached his hand up and cupped the ravens cheek, cooing when Levi tilted his head to meet his hand. He blinked up lovingly at Eren, reaching one of his hands up to move some bangs out of his face so he could see those beautiful bright green eyes of the man he loved, the man he cherished, whom he trusted with his whole heart. 

Eren tilted his head down and pressed his soft pink lips to Levi's in a gentle kiss, so unlike they've had in a long time. It's mostly been rough, but right now, they wanted to be gentle. Gentle is what they need, it's what they wanted, what they cherished the most. They both fluttered their eyes shut and kissed each other, touching as tenderly as they could. 

After all, this was their last night together until Levi goes to Michigan at the end of June. They would be apart for only a month, they could handle that. But just in case they couldn't, they had right now. 

Levi pulled away from the kiss and blinked slowly up at Eren through his long black eyelashes, a ghosting of love in his stormy grey, half lidded eyes. "I'm so in love with you." he said and traced his hand down to Erens chest, taking the pendant of the necklace he got Eren for his birthday and holding it between his two fingers. "It's scary how much I trust you with my life, but I can only hope for you to understand."

Eren cocked his head to the side, not really understanding Levi's point but stayed quiet when he saw his mouth open again, prepared to say something else.

"Most people would have ran, but you didn't. You stayed with me through it all. Even when you found out about my mom being murdered, all the blood I have on my hands, everything. You didn't hesitate, you stayed with me through it all until the very end. And the most important part was that you trusted me the entire time."

It wasn't an unusual thing for Levi to tell Eren how much he meant to him, it happened often, but for some reason this time seemed to much more different than the others. Erens cheeks tinted a light pink while listening to him speak. 

"You mean everything to me, Eren. I see a future with you, I see us being successful. I see myself writing books and you teaching math to eager kids, I see our own kids waking us up in the morning." Levi looked up into Erens eyes and smiled softly. "I've never thought about that with anyone, not even Erwin. The way I love you is so selfless, I will do anything for you. From stopping that car back at the bridge to standing up to Jean to keep you out of danger."

"You were so scared that day" Eren spoke softly, thinking about the night Levi and him both say Jean at the hospital. "I could still see you shaking, you knees bucking and so exhausted from not sleeping. But even during then, you didn't back down, you protected me."

Levi nodded, "Yes, and I always will. Going through all of this has taught me so much, even though it's only been a week. But I'm talking about everything, because every little thing you and I did led us to crossing paths to Maria University." he let go of the pendant and cupped Erens cheek, "when I started at Maria, the thought of a relationship disgusted me but you showed me all the cherishing aspects of one, and that's a quality of you that I admire. You showed me the right thing to do from day one, waiting for me to tell you things instead of pressing on.. you're the best thing in my life, Eren Yeager. And I got something for you."

Eren raised a brow at that, but waited silently while he watched the raven reach into his wallet that was set down next to his phone. He watched Levi dig until he finally found something and turned around, holding it in a fist. He looked contemplated, but Eren chose not to comment on it. This was obviously big for Levi, so he would let him do it on his own time. 

The raven held the object in a fist so Eren wouldn't see it, and he looked back up at Eren. "I don't want you to get too ahead of yourself, because you can sure be a cocky bastard but.. I couldn't _not_ give you something for sticking around with someone like me, nobody would let me live that down" he smiled softly and opened his fist, watching Erens face for a reaction. "This is yours."

The brunettes eyes widened as he looked down at the object in Levi's hand, it was a ring. He reached forward and grabbed the ring, it was a solid band with Erens birthstone engraved around it. He looked back at Levi, "Vi, what is this for?"

"For promising never to leave me" Levi said, his cheeks turning red now. "For being there with me through it all, for not taking advantage of me, for showing me the ropes in a relationship. For loving me unconditionally even when I'm an asshole, taking your time with me when I'm moody and difficult to be with." He chuckled at the look on Erens face and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm not proposing to you, I would rather have you propose, but I figured I would beat you in the race of giving a promise ring."

"A.. promise ring?" Eren asked softly, "reallu?"

"A promise that I will do the same for you. I know we're pretty dead set on each other, but this is something that's important to me. I don't want to wait for a ring till you propose later on, I want you to wear a ring that I bought for you and customized for you. I promise that I will be the best boyfriend I can be, I promise to heal with you and never let you be alone. I promise to love you even when you're being an idiot. And lastly" Levi put the ring on Erens finger, "I promise to take your hand in marriage in the far future."

Eren looked down at the ring on his finger and blinked away the happy tears that welled up in his eyes, he used his other hand to wipe them away and looked down at the ring. It was beautiful, he didn't even know when Levi had the time to get something like this. Maybe it was when he slept in, or maybe he snuck out of the house to do it? 

He didn't know, but what he did know was that he had so much love for the man in front of him. He smiled and lunged forward, hugging the raven tight in his arms and peppering kisses all over Levi's face. Levi tried to push him off but Eren was too strong so he gave up, laughing and crying out in louder laughter when Eren had started to tickle him. 

Both of them calmed down moments later and now they laid down next to each other, Levi cuddled into Erens side and Eren on his back. He was looking at the way the ring gleamed in the sunlight, a pleasant look on his face. "I promise to do the same right back at you, Levi. I love you with my whole heart, and nothing will ever change that."

His answer must have satisfied the raven because as the sun finally set, Levi perked up and looked at Eren, a playful glint in his eyes. Eren thought he was going to say something else romantic but what came tumbling from his lips was the opposite. 

"Let's fuck on the beach."

_

The next morning Levi was ever so clingy to his boyfriend, helping him pack and showering together. He even sat on the counter while Eren made breakfast for the both of them, and holding his hand under the table and tangling their feet together. His eyes never left Eren for more than a couple minutes. 

Kenny witnessed it all and felt bad for his nephew, he watched as Levi helped Eren load his bags into the ravens black car and come back inside, Levi right on Erens tail. It was always hard for Levi to say goodbye to someone, he guesses that underneath all that badass-ness was the same small child that showed up at his front door with CPS all those years ago. 

When Levi was younger, his separation anxiety was awful. When him and Kenny were in different rooms, the small boy would cry so loud he would wake the neighbors. He would scream bloody murder because he thought he was going to be alone forever, just like he was with his mothers dead body in an empty house for days. 

He knows Levi is an adult now, but that hint if PTSD will always unconsciously haunt him without him knowing. When they were about to leave, Kenny pulled Eren in for a hug. Eren hugged back just as tight, resting his head on the older mans neck. 

"Please take care of him?" Eren whispered, tightening his hold. 

"I know you don't want to leave, and he doesn't want you too either.. but I'll take care of him. He's always in good hands with me"

Eren pulled back with a smile and nodded, "Goodbye Kenny, I'll facetime you guys once I get settled in."

Kenny nodded, "See ya, kid."

And with that, his nephew and boyfriend were out the door. They loaded into Levi's car and the raven drove them to the airport, hand on Erens thigh. When they got to the airport, Levi helped Eren carry his bags inside and walk to his terminal. 

Before Eren loaded his plane, Levi turned and pulled Eren in for a bone crushing hug. Of course, Eren hugged him back just as tight. "I'm going to miss you"

"I don't want you to leave" Levi admitted into Erens shoulder, "I hate when people leave me."

Eren kissed Levi's head and made him look up at him so they were looking each other in the eyes. "Yeah, but I'm a phone call away, you know that. I love you hun, okay?"

Levi nodded with a smile, "Yeah, I love you too."

The brunette grabbed his bags and loaded the plane with one last look at Levi, who looked so small while his arms were wrapped around his body, biting his nails as he watched Eren walk up the stairs to the plane. He just smiled and waved, not missing how Levi's cheeks turned red and the small wave he got in return. 

And then Eren turned around, boarding the plane. 

Kenny was sitting on the couch, he had prepared a movie and some snacks because he knew the state his nephew would be in when he arrived back home from dropping Eren off at the airport. He waited for an hour until he heard foot steps, the security code being typed in, and then the door opening. Kenny looked up and let out a sigh, "he's gone?"

Levi stood there, lip wobbling as he shut the door behind him. He hated how attached he became to other people, first Furlan and Izzy, and now Eren, even though he knew he would see Eren again in a month. He looked to Kenny and nodded, wiping his eyes and setting his keys down on the table.

The elder Ackerman gave Levi a small smile, "I picked your favorite Harry Potter movie, the Half-Blood Prince. Come on, spend some time with your uncle, I missed ya kid."

After taking off his shoes, Levi made his way over to Kenny and sat down next to him. He sniffled as he was handed a bowl of popcorn, he held it close to him and wiped away another tear while Kenny pressed play on the movie. 

Kenny looked over at Levi, looking just as devastated when he showed up on his front door thirteen years ago. He patted Levi's head gently, "You miss him, huh?"

That did it, the tears Levi was holding in finally flowed down his cheeks. He tried to stop them from falling with his hands, but they couldn't keep up. "I know I'll see him in a month.. I don't know why I'm like this."

"You've been through a lot of shit, kid" Kenny said softly, giving Levi a tissue. "It's alright, you were the same way when you were a kid."

Levi wiped his eyes again and scooted closer to Kenny, laying his head on his shoulder and sniffling once more. 

Kenny just shushed him, "It's alright, just watch the movie, kid. You'll feel better soon."

-

It's been a month since Eren left California. Him and Levi facetimed every single day, Kenny met Erens family via facetime too. Everything was going so good, Levi seemed like he was back to normal, happier even. Everyone could see it. 

He was actually packing his bags, getting ready to go to Michigan. He loaded all of his bags into Kennys truck and grabbed the keys to his own car, leaving while Kenny was still sleeping that morning. He drove somewhere that he had been meaning to visit for over a month now.

Levi pulled up into the parking lot and let the guards check him before he went inside, once he went inside he walked up to the desk. 

The lady looked up at him, a bored look on her face. "Who ya here for, honey?"

"Kirstein, Jean"

"Right through that way and be seated by the guard, sugar, he'll be out"

"Thank you" Levi walked down the hall and followed the guard, sitting down in a chair and waiting nervously.

He didn't know what pushed him to be here, to visit the man he hated but he needed some sort of closure, and even though Levi could handle this on his own, having guard here made him feel safer. Sure, his nerves were sky rocketting but he couldn't care less, he wanted closure and he wanted it now. 

Sooner rather than later, a door opened and out he came. Jean came out from the doors and looked around, confused in his beige jumpsuit until his eyes landed on Levi. He frowned and raised an eyebrow ans asked the guard, but the guard pointed and nodded. Jean shrugged and walked over, sitting down in the chair and looking Levi over. 

The man in front of him looked nothing like the Levi he mad first met, and the Levi he saw last week. His hair was washed and fluffed, the bags under his eyes weren't there, hair freshly cut and he was dressed nice. He had perfect posture, but Jean could see the hint of nervousness in his eyes. 

Levi gave Jean a once over, he was more dirty than the last time Levi saw him. The jumpsuit was a good look on him, so were the handcuffs on his ankles and wrists. His hair was more shaggy and he looked awful, but it was nothing the gang leader couldn't handle. After all, he would make Levi look worse. 

Jean watched as Levi went to grab the phone, he grabbed the phone too. He spoke first, "uh, I haven't had any visitors, but the last visitor I would expect to have is you of all people."

"I don't know why I'm here" 

"You sound distressed" Jean commented, "something you need?"

The raven picked at his nails and then looked at Jean. "I want to know, um.. why me, I guess"

"Why you, what?"

Levi paused, then spoke again after gathering his thoughts. "I'm not saying I would rather have someone else go through what I went through but.. I know you're fucked up and I don't care about your back story or whatever, but what I guess I'm asking is.. was it worth it? All the shit I went through because of you? Was it worth it?"

Jean just stared at Levi and sighed at the question, he never knew the answer himself. He couldn't blame his fucked up past because even using that, that is no excuse for him to do what he did to the teen in front of him. To a minor, nonetheless. 

"I'm sorry, but I don't have an answer as to why it was you. I would say that it was right place right time in my eyes. Back then I was so angry and so violent and you were just.. there. Every time you tried to make me better I hated you because you were what I wanted to be, someone who had a bright future." Jean sighed, "No Levi, none of it was worth it. I'm sorry for all that I've done to you."

"Sorry doesn't change how I feel about you" Levi sneered, "It doesnt change how you violated me and stole whatever innocence I had left. I tried to make you better but I was shot down every time."

"I know" Jean said lowly, "I understand you will never forgive me, and I understand I have put you through so much for someone your age."

Levi glared at him, "I hate you."

"And you have a right too" Jean sighed, eyeing the various scars that littered Levi's arms that were either from him or the self inflicted. "I will never ask you to forgive me, but what I will ask is that you make the most of your life."

The raven nodded and sighed, "You deserve to take all the blame"

Jean gave him a sly smile. "I do, because in the end it was all my fault anyway. None of that blame should be on you."

Levi tapped the counter with his growing fingernails, "I'm going on a flight to michigan to see Eren, my time is up here."

When he saw Levi about to hang up but he spoke once more, "Let me say goodbye."

The raven eyed him, but nodded and stayed silent. 

"For everything I've done, I'm so sorry. I admit everything was my fault." Jean began. "While I am in here I will work on my anger issues and go to therapy, and pay for everything that I have done. But while I'm in here rotting away for my mistakes, I already to Eren this when he came into my hospital room-"

Levi didn't know Eren visited Jean in the hospital, it was probably when he was knocked out on pain medicine.

"I told him to take care of you and make sure that you are happy, because it is what you deserve. Get your degree and write that book, make so much money it'll make everyone jealous. And raise that white fence family you've always wanted. Be happy with Eren, you understand?"

"Yeah" Levi gave him a tough smile, "goodbye Jean."

"Goodbye, Levi"

_

Eren was in his living room practically bouncing on the heels of his feet. Carla had left to pick up Levi from the air port because Eren was cleaning the house. As he was wiping down the kitchen counter he saw headlights pull into the driveway and he smiled, that had to be them. His father wouldn't be home until tomorrow morning since he worked the night shift, and Mikasa was spending the night at Annie's house. It couldn't be anyone else besides his lover and mother. 

He must have been so caught up in excitement because the next thing he knew there was footsteps leading up to the front door, and then he could hear it being unlocked. Eren tossed the towel into the hamper he was using to dry the counters and when he turned, his face lit up when he saw a cute little raven walk inside his home.

Levi walked in next to Carla, each of them holding suitcases and bags. They were in the middle of a conversation but Levi saw something moved and he immediately looked over to see what it was. When he saw Eren standing there at the end of the walk way, he dropped his bags and broke out into a sprint, running towards Eren and with a big smile on his face, "Eren!"

The younger man laughed and held his arms out for Levi, grunting loudly when Levi jumped into his arms. He was surprised he hadn't fallen to the floor because of how hard Levi slammed into him, but he laughed it off when he felt Levi wrap himself around Eren like a koala. 

"I missed you too, Vi" Eren smiled and held Levi by his thighs, kissing his temple. "How was your month"

"Good" Levi smiled at Eren, pecking his lips. "I missed you"

Eren just smiled and held Levi close, nuzzling his face into Levi's hair. He looked over at his mother, who was locking the door behind her and leaving the bags at the door, walking into the kitchen to look over Erens cleaning. "These counters are spotless, honey."

"I know, kitchen is cleaned and so is the entire first floor" Eren beamed.

"Oh, and Levi?"

Levi perked up and he took his face out from Erens neck, looking over at Carla. "Yes?"

"I saw that ring on my sons finger, I assume that's from you?" She asked, eyeing him closely.

The raven clung onto Eren, "um, yes"

Carla just smiled, "Good, it's a very pretty ring by the way. Eren told me all about your time in California, it sounded like fun!"

Levi almost made a comment but Eren whispered something in his ear. "She has no idea about anything, you're safe" and with that, Levi turned back to Carla with a smile. "You like the ring? It took me forever to customize it and stuff, Eren loved it too, we got to spend whole night at the beach."

"It sounds so fun! The warm weather must be so nice" Carla beamed, "now, I am going to work on dinner. Oh and just so you two are aware, Eren, the family is coming over for a get together for the forth of july. So Levi, I hope you brought something formal to wear?"

The raven nodded, "course I did"

"Good. Eren, help Levi unpack and then come back downstairs, dinner should be ready by the time you're finished."

Eren and Levi did as they were told and they grabbed all of Levi's things, heading upstairs to Erens room. It took them awhile, but they finally rearranged the ravens things the way he wanted it to be. Eren even offered to clean his carpet one more time but Levi shook his head with a fond smile, saying it wasn't needed. Levi did bring his own pillow though, because he honestly did not like Erens weird smelling laundry soap, so he brought his own laundry soap with him and Eren about cried from how hard he laughed when he pulled it out of Levi's bag. 

When dinner was done the boys went downstairs and ate with Carla. They ended up having some Japanese soup along with some bread and some steamed rice. She asked them more about California, and Levi was the one who did a lot of the talking. In his time with the gang, he learned how to lie like a pro and Eren didn't mind it, he went along with everything Levi said to her, even adding in some of his own fibs. 

He did ask about if the story went public, but Levi comforted him and said only people in California really know about it. It made him feel much better knowing his mom won't ever know of what happened, he think's he would be caught dead if his ad ever found out. The man was modest, but if you get him mad he would kick your ass. 

Carla gushed over the ring once more even though she's seen it a million times, but seeing the reaction on both Eren and Levi's faces made it worth it. She watched when Levi would try to be sneaky and steal some of Erens rice, and the younger boy would take a bite of Levi's soup while he spoke to Carla. When they caught each other stealing the others' food, they just laughed it off with that gleaming look in their eyes. Those two boys really were in love and very good influences on each other. When they looked into their eyes, she could see the deep bond they carried within themselves. She smiled, it reminded her of when her and Grisha got together during their college years. They were young and so full of hope, they worked hard and now they have two beautiful children who are happy with their lives. Mikasa has a loving girlfriend and is going to college, and Eren is doing the same. 

Both of her kids are thriving, and she wouldn't have it any other way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after this chapter, there are two more chapters  
> here is the link again for my new book  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/24939994


	39. Heaven Is A Place On Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah, the final chapter before the epilogue. hope you all enjoy this chapter.

A week has passed since Levi arrived in Michigan, and the boys were hanging out nonstop with Erens friends. They spent a lot of their time at Connies playing video games, getting drunk, and spending the night most times. Levi didn't mind, he loved seeing Eren happy and would gladly stay at Connies if it meant seeing that sweet smile of his boyfriends. 

Did they see Erens bullies once when they went to downtown again? Yes they did, and what happened? They left Eren alone when they say the short teen by his side, fear practically blew them away if it wasn't for the damn wind. Levi wanted to laugh, but he walked on along side Eren who held his head high. As he should. Eren should not be afraid to be who he wanted to be when he was home, in a safe place, and Levi would do his best to help him. 

Even Mikasa and Levi got closer, they had some wine a couple nights ago out by the trampoline. They weren't jumping, just laying down. Eren and Annie were out doing God knows what so they stayed home, breaking out some wine and just listening to music while they laid on the trampoline. 

Mostly, they spoke of their families. Mikasa told Levi about her past with her parents and how she came to live with the Yeagers, and also explained what was with her genetics. She explained she was born to an asian mother and although she was not sure what heritage her father was, she believed she was mostly asian. She did point out that she had some french in her though, that was shown during the DNA test. 

After she explained hers, Levi explained his. He was french and american, his mother was french while the man whom he thought his father was, there was no real evidence that Austin was his father, was american. He looked nothing like his father, he was a carbon copy of his mother. He explained to Mikasa that he grew up with his mother speaking some french, then Kenny, and then he took it in school and was thinking about minoring in it when he went back in the fall.

So to say, the two Ackermans got along very well. It showed in the house too, Levi had even managed to bring a smile to Mikasas face a couple times at the dinner table, which shocked Eren, Carla, and Grisha to the core. They barely ever saw Mikasa smile, but it all made sense when Mikasa and Levi explained to them that they were related. And don't even get the two of them started on their reaction when Levi and Mikasa had started speaking french at the table.

It was crazy how both Eren and Levi were bilingual, with Levi speaking french and Eren speaking german. Eren had decided to show off his german speaking skills one night at dinner and Levi hated to admit it, but the way Eren sounded when he switched to another language made him harder than a fucking rock. 

Long story short, they fucked that night and it was the best sex they probably had. Now Eren added speaking german to the list of kinks Levi enjoyed. He wanted to find out more. 

During the middle of the week, Levi had sat Eren down and told him he went to see Jean before he left for Michigan. He expected a lecture, yelling, cursing, something, but all Eren did was shrug and say okay, and turn back to his video games. It left Levi stunned, but also thankful that Eren didn't make a big scene about it because it didn't need to be. 

That was something Levi loved about Eren, he was calm and assertive when he needed to be. He never yelled, and if he does it's because he's overwhelmed, distressed, or confused, which is almost never. He never raised his voice once during the whole drug bust last month, which is pretty impressive.

Even though he did not make it a big deal, Levi still explained to Eren about how Jean told him to be happy. Eren had turned off his video games for the rest of the night and admitted to visiting Jeans hospital room before the court date. They were honest with each other. 

Speaking of being honest, Eren was horrible at keeping secrets. He was too excited to wait so that same night, he went to his closet and reached the top shelf, grabbing two boxes and bringing them back to the bed.

The raven was half way asleep from Eren rubbing his back for the last couple minutes, cuddles up in winter pajamas and eyes already closed. When he felt the bed dip again he opened his eyes slowly, looking over at Eren and raising an eyebrow when his eyes landed on the boxes. "Please don't tell me we're going another round Eren, Jesus my dick hurts."

Eren only laughed and set the boxes down and then making Levi sit up, "No love, but I bought some things for you. I realize you always get me stuff and after the shit we went through, I went shopping for you. I think you'll find this stuff handy." he smiled and handed Levi one of the boxes. "Open it."

Levi yawned and nodded, "okay" he mumbled and unfolded the lid on the box, opening it and pulling out all the random gifts Eren had put together. 

The first thing he pulled out was fingerless writing gloves, a black and red pair to be exact with Levi's name on them along with some other famous writing prompts. The second thing was a water proof note pad to keep in the shower and Levi almost laughed, he does get most of his ideas while he's in the shower for some reason. For the third gift, there was a couple pairs of socks that had funny writing jokes on them. After that Levi pulled out noise cancelling headphones, and that was when he broke out into a smile, making Erens pretty little heart melt. Levi had previously told him that he hated loud noises, and he was surprised that Eren remembered that small detail. 

He pulled out a couple funny coffee mugs and a free kindle subscription, along with some gift cards to some stores and other online editing softwares that he would be using in the future. When he finished with the first box he was handed another one, and Levi opened that one right away like a child on christmas day. 

In that box was a lot of candles that looked expensive, there was also a pillow case, a bathtub book caddy that Levi practically gushed over, and the last thing was an envelope that had Levi's name on it. He looked at Eren with a raised brow. "What's this?"

"Open it love, that one is from my mom" Eren encouraged, he was so excited for this last gift. This one could be the best gift he's ever gotten the raven.

Levi tore the envelope open and pulled out a folded piece of notebook paper first, opening it and reading it. 

_Dear Levi,_

_Eren told me you grew up without a mother and father and I am very sorry to hear that, but just know I will gladly take on that role for you any time you need. I also know what it feels like to lose a parent. I will help guide you through life, like a mother should. It is something you deserve._

_This gift I am giving to you is one that I wished I had received when I was your age. I reached out to one of my friends who is on the New York Times Best Sellers list and has been on there for years, she has written four series of books and also has her own talk show now._

_I told her you were an up and coming writer and after hearing about what you write about (Eren told me) she typed out a letter and told me to give it to you. This was while you and Eren were in California._

_I hope this also counts for a birthday present since Eren did not tell me when your birthday was._

_Love, Carla._

Levi's eyes widened and he reached into the envelope, grabbing the folded piece of printed paper. He opened it right away and read that letter next, mouth dropping in surprise and eyes rounding with shock. 

_Dear Levi Ackerman,_

_Hello, my name is Whittney Rambell and I am the proud writer of four book series and host of WRL. I went to college with Carla Yeager, and I understand that you are a writer as well and that you are still in college. Carla told me what you like to write about and it is similar to my favorite writing types as well, so you and I both have something in common._

_I am needing an editor since my current one is going on maternity leave. You will be able to do this online since you are still in college, but I do want to have regular facetime, zoom, or skype meetings to make sure you and I are on the same page._

_I hope you accept my offer young man, because this can get you started on a career. You can be very successful, and if you will allow me, I would love to hear some ideas about a future book of yours. Possibly, I hope to become a mentor for you._

_I will leave my contact information below, please contact me during the last week of July if you would like to participate as until then I will be in Europe doing a tour and will not have access to my email._

_I will leave my information below._

_Hope to hear from you soon,_

_Whittney Rambell._

His eyes scanned the paper, mouth practically dropping as he read through it. Levi had to read it four or five times to understand what this whole thing meant.   
  
He couldn’t believe it, he’s read all of Rambells stories since he was a kid and he watched the talk show with Kenny sometimes before he left for Maria University. He thinks he even has some of her books in his room, but he hasn’t touched them since high school.   
  


His hands practically shook as he looked over her signature, that part was not typed out. It was handwritten, he could tell. Levi covered his mouth with one of his hands once he finally understood what the letter meant.   
  


She wanted him as an editor and possibly to be his writing mentor, most people did not get this opportunity. He was sure that somehow he would get on the New York Times Best Sellers list, but now he had a one way ticket to getting on there some day. It was guaranteed. He didn’t have to try and turn in a million internships, he didn’t have to look high and dry for people to mentor him. And he was only a freshman in college? He’s going to have to give Carla the biggest hug ever for this.

Eren watched his lover with a smile as he covered his mouth in shock, he’s never seen Levi speechless like this before. It was kind of entertaining, he wasn’t even sure what the gift was. His mom only gave him an envelope and told him to give it to Levi. The only thing she told him was that this is a big opportunity for Levi.   
  


What surprised him though was Levi’s eyes tearing up and bottom lip wobbling, he almost asked Levi if something was wrong but stopped when he saw him hold the letter to his chest. His stormy grey eyes looked up at Eren, “did you know about this?”   
  


“I don’t even know what it is, Vi.” Eren rubbed his knee, “explain it to me?”   
  


“A writer, Whitney Rambell, she’s famous for writing four series about fictional stories and she’s a talk show host.” Levi rubbed his eye with one of his hands, “Carla knows her I guess, and she’s offering me a spot to edit stuff and possibly be my mentor if I agree” 

Eren smiled and pulled Levi into his arms, “oh hun, that’s amazing!”   
  


“fuck, I love your mom” Levi’s laugh sounded wet as he buried his face into Erens shoulder, “this is.. I can’t believe it.”   
  


“You deserve this, Levi” Eren kisses his head gently, “after everything, you deserve it.”   
  


This was something new. Something was handed to Levi on a silver platter, and that has never happened before. His entire life he has had to fight to get what he wanted. Like switching schools, beating addiction, going to college, justice for Izzy and himself, it was always to survive in some way. Even the smallest things like trying to pass his class, even though he was smart as hell it was still hard.   
  


But now, this was handed to him, practically waiting for him to take. He wasn’t used to this, for something to be so easy. And for Carla to say she wanted t take on a motherly role for him, that was also something new.   
  


He kind of felt like it would be disrespectful for him to acknowledge Carla as a mother figure, but he knew that his own mom would be proud of him if he did. She would want someone to be there for Levi and give him the push he needed, give him the motherly advice that she would have given him. Levi wanted to have a sit down with Carla and thank her for everything.   
  


This was such a big deal for him, this was it. He could have his life planned out, nice and easy instead of having to fight and struggle and possibly fuck up again. It was a straight path, he couldn’t believe this. He couldn’t believe that by simply giving Eren a chance, he would have this sort of thing handed to him . It was all because he trusted Eren that first day he met him that he’s here today.   
  


Without Eren, Levi had no idea where he would be. He would have gone through college alone, he would have gone through the drug bust alone, he would still be alone. But now he’s not, he’s got a loyal and loving boyfriend at his side who will do anything for him. Eren has proven time and time again that he was supportive of everything Levi did. He’s shown he would protect Levi even if it meant fighting someone he knew he had no chance of beating. Eren was the best thing to ever happen to him.   
  


Levi hugged Eren tighter, “I love you so much, thank you.”   
  


Eren blushed and ran his fingers against Levi’s undercut, “I love you too baby. So much, never forget that.”   
  


\- 

The next day was the day of the Fourth of July cook out, which also meant that Levi was meeting Erens entire family.   
  


The Yeagers and Levi cleaned the entire house, Levi and Carla were cooking in the kitchen all day. Eren was out buying fireworks while Mikasa and Grisha worked out in the back yard. Annie came over later and she ended up helping in the back yard as well.   
  


While they were cooking, Levi talked with Carla and thanked her for reaching out and getting Levi the internship. He told her more about his childhood on how he grew up without a mom, and they had a heart felt moment when he finished his explanation.

"Oh Levi, I'm sorry all of that stuff happened to you. But I meant every word I said, if you will let me, I would gladly be a mother figure in your life. No matter what" Carla promised as she cooked. 

Levi smiled to her, cutting some vegetables. "Thank you, Carla"

"Call me mom"

The raven blushed, "Thank you, mom"

Calling her mom was weird to him but also really comforting. He remembers a little about his mother, calling her mom and her changing his diapers and potty training him. All up until the day she was murdered right in front of him. 

But to him now, this was a whole other level of meaning. Carla was volunteering to be a mother figure to him, even though he still felt like a stranger to the Yeager home. Nothing means more to him than what she had just promised him. The yeagers were starting to feel like a second family to him. 

When the entire Yeager family showed up for the party, Levi was a nervous and panicking mess. Eren had to pull him over after awhile when he noticed the older beginning to sweat, going up to his bedroom with Levi and shutting the door. Before he could turn around, Levi clung onto him tightly and would not let go, no matter how many times Eren asked him too.

"Levi, I can't help you if you don't tell me whats up" Eren pleaded, wrapping his arms around Levi's smaller frame, trying to provide some comfort to the distressed male.

"Just nervous to meet your family" Levi bit his lip and hid his face in Erens neck, "what if they don't like me?"

Eren wanted to laugh, never did he ever think that Levi would be so self conscious about something like this. He stroked Levi's hair, "babe, they know how happy you make me, most of them already know of you. And since when do you act like this? I've never seen you nervous to meet someone before"

Levi peeked up at him shyly, a blush on his pale cheeks. "You're important to me and I'm meeting your entire family in one go.. sorry if I'm fucking freaking the fuck out."

"Such vulgar language for a sweetheart" Eren teased, "they're not all bad, just calm down, would ya? I already warned my family you don't like touching, so they already know not to greet you with a handshake or a hug. Everything will be perfectly fine. You trust me, don't cha?"

"Yes"

"Then come on" Eren cupped Levi's cheeks, "for me?"

"For you, anything."

After their secret meeting, Levi felt much better. They went back downstairs and by the time they did, more people had shown up. The house was flooded with family members, some speaking english and others speaking fluent german. Levi tried to keep up with conversation, but he had to let Eren do a lot of the talking if the conversations went to german instead of english. 

Eren introduced Levi to his aunts and uncles first, it was awkward at first because Levi was antisocial but after talking to them about him wanting to be a writer everything went smoothly. Levi really got along with one of his aunts, which was no surprise. They were both antisocial while their partners were social butterflies. 

The next people he introduced Levi too was his cousins, and that was a fun ride. It had gotten darker outside by then and they were all outside playing with fireworks and taking pictures by the back drop Mikasa and Annie made. Eren introduced Levi to his cousins Hanna and Rich, and before Eren knew it, they stole his boyfriend from him.

Those two were the only two that Levi got along with the most, and they all were just as hectic when they drank. They included Levi on some drinking games and then on some card games, gawking at Levi's talent at poker and black jack. Erena aunts and uncles joined in as well, watching the card games and cheering every time Levi made the right move. 

Eren watched from afar, admiring how Levi himself turned into a social butterfly by the end of the night. He knew peoples names as the hours went on, he picked up a couple german words (Eren wasn't surprised, Levi picked that type of stuff up all the time) and he even helped Erens cousins set up the fireworks. 

When the time came for the fireworks about to be lit, Levi and Eren both sobered up by drinking a shit ton of water they had to pee every five minutes. They ran outside when they heard Grisha call for them and they sat down on the grass, hands intertwined and Levi's head on Erens shoulder. Eren had his arms around his lovers shoulders, bringing him as close as possible. 

They all watched the fireworks that were exploding the brightest colors in the sky. They were being shot off downtown, but they had a good view from their back yard. While they watched the fireworks, one of Erens cousins had gotten up from his seat and made her way to Eren.

Her name was Gabby and she was about to turn three in five months, she was dressed in a pretty fourth of july outfit and she had a blue jean coat on, her pretty blonde hair in pig tails with bows in them. Eren noticed her and opened his arm, smiling when she crawled onto his lap.

"Hi 'Ren" she smiled, her teeth were crooked because as she was growing up, she loved her pacifier, she still tried to use it sometimes. 

"Wassup Gabs" Eren smiled and hugged her close, his voice caused Levi to look up at him, then to the two year old in his arms. "You like the fireworks? Are they big and pretty?"

She nodded with that same smile, "big and 'retty."

"Hey love, can you say hello to my boyfriend Levi?" Eren asked, pointing to Levi, who in return gave Gabby a smile that was only reserved for kids. 

Gabby looked to Levi and cocked her head to the side, looking him over and then bursting out into a smile, holding out her small hand. "Hi wevi!"

The raven smiled and reached forward, letting her hold onto his two fingers and shake his hand. "Hi Gabby, how old are you!"

"Twee!" She giggled and looked up at Eren.

Eren kissed her head, "look at the fireworks Gabby, they're almost done. Gotta watch them"

Levi just smiled, turning his attention back to the fire works.

Levi watched as Gabby cuddled into Erens lap and he smiled, thinking about their own future children. He knew they both wanted kids, and he knew Eren loved kids, but seeing him with one right now really warmed his heart. 

He was so gentle and caring, despite how tall and muscular he was he had such a soft side. He held Gabby with one arm and Levi with the other and they all stared up into the sky, watching the fireworks. 

Sometimes it was hard for both Levi and Eren to register how far they both have come. When Eren started college, he was running away from his past bullies who hated him for being who he was. When Levi started college, he had the idea that he was running away from his past and not wanting a relationship. 

When they found each other, they did not think anything of it. They had started as best friends, soon they hung out on their own and then before they both knew it, it turned out to be more than just a friend ship. They found each other attractive.

Eren didn't know when it started, his feelings for Levi to be exact. Maybe it was the first day they met, and Eren remembers that oh so clearly. They were checking into their dorms and the little raven was having a panic attack. 

_"But Hange" Levi said to his friend, "what if my new roommate is weird? I can't.. if it.. I don't even know what I'm saying"_

_She looked at him like he was ridiculous, "Levi"_

_"I don't even know how to make friends, you and Erwin are my only friends because you two forced me to be your friend. Maybe college isn't a good idea, maybe I should go back home and-" Levi's breathing had begun to pick up and he started tugging on his ears as sign of distress._

_"Stop that, Levi, hey, Levi?"_

_Eren had stepped forward then, ignoring the strange look he got from Connie and put his hand on the womans shoulder. "Hi, my name is Eren, my mom is a doctor. Mind if I help with your friend?"_

_Levi glared, "D-Don't.."_

_Hange just smiled kindly, "yes please."_

It could have been then, helping Levi through that panic attack. Or, it could have been the first real conversation they had about their futures. 

_"So, you said you wanted to be an author, you want to write a book some day?" Eren asked, looking down at Levi as they walked._

_Levi shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, I want to write my own book. Don't know what I want it to be about, but I want to be on the Now York Times Best Sellers list"_

_"Thats cool" Eren smiled, "I'm simple, all I wanna is be a math teacher"_

_"Sound smart" Levi mumbled, "I can barely do basic math, I have to take this college level algebra class and it's gonna kill my GPA I know it."_

_Eren thought for a moment before he spoke again, "I.. I could tutor you?"_

_Levi looked up at Eren for the first time since they've been talking and he shrugged, "sure, I could use an A this semester."_

Or the first time Eren took Levi out to do a photoshoot of him.

_"Um.. what do I.. what do I do?" Levi had asked him, fidgeting with his fingers nervously and looking up at the brunette in front of him._

_"Let's start with something simple, lay down, spread the flowers out.. yeah, like that! That looks good. Thsi will be awesome!"_

He thought about that time when Levi stopped a moving car so it wouldn't hit Eren when he fell from the bridge and hurt his ankle, and he didn't even hesitate when he blocked that damn car. To this day, Eren could not fucking believe Levi did that shit for him last year. 

_The ravens instincts kicked in faster than one could blink, Eren was falling a good twelve feet from the ground, and the worse part? He hadn't made it past the cars, which means if he fell straight down, he would fall into the farthest car lane. As Eren fell to the ground, Levi ran into the road, holding his hand out to the car driving a good fifty miles an hour or so. Levi did not flinch, he didn't give the car a second look, he didn't have time. He just assumed the car would stop, which, gladly, it did with a loud honk of the horn and a screech from the tires. "Stop the car!" he had yelled._

_Eren thought he was going to land flat on the ground, but at the last second he saw Levi's extended arm and he reached for it, gripping the ravens shoulder tight and landing on his feet. As soon as his left foot landed on the pavement he groaned, feeling pain shoot up his ankle and the back of his leg. That's gonna be sore, he sighed to himself._

_Levi winced at the hard grip on his shoulder and he turned to Eren, "Hey, you okay?"_

_"Fine" Eren replied shortly, "let's get out of the road"_

There are so many moments that could have been that one moment that Eren fell in love with Levi. From the bridge, to the halloween party, to stalking Hange and Moblit on their first date. He could not pin point the date, but maybe it's been love at first sight.

He had the blessing of being Levi's boyfriend for over nine months now, they've been through enough to last a life time. They didn't know each other that well when they started dating, so as they dated they learned more and more about each other. Everyday brought something new for the both of them. 

Eren just smiled to himself and kissed Levi's head, and he got a squeeze of their intertwined hands in response. A warm feeling in his heart surrounded him and clouded his mind. That night after Erens family left, Levi and Eren went upstairs and undressed each other with tender touches and whispering sweet nothings into each others ears.

The younger man was on top of Levi, slowly rocking his hips into him, deep and sensual. There were no toys, no ropes, no kinky shit whats so ever. Eren broke all of Levi's walls down that night, telling him how beautiful he was and kissing over all of his scars from his past, even the scars of the heroine needle all those years ago. It caused endless tears to flow down Levi's cheeks at how much Eren cared for him, and those were kissed away by the younger mans soft pink lips. 

Levi's legs were wrapped around Erens waist, his hands rested on Erens shoulders, cheeks wet from the appreciation and praise he received. Eren was holding him as if he was fragile, as if he was glass and would break at the touch. He melted in the embrace, looking up into Erens loving emerald green eyes staring down into his own red rimmed stormy grey eyes. 

"I love you with everything that I am, honey." Eren whispered softly, slowly pulsing in and out of Levi's tight heat.

They were in such a vulnerable position, the most vulnerable state they could be in. They never stopped to talk to each other so lovingly during sex, maybe it was from not seeing each other for month, maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the pure love for each other.

Either way, they loved it and would not change it for the world. Levi just moaned softly at the feeling of Eren sliding back inside of him and hitting that spot ever so gently, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes to the back of his head and simply stared into Erens eyes. 

"And I, you. With everything I am, and hope to be." 

_You know you're in love when you can say anything to the person and you know they won't laugh at you._

_When you can see their face when you close your eyes,_

_when you can still feel their arms around you, holding you right long after they're gone._

_When you can still taste their kiss after you have said goodbye._

_You can tell you're in love when you miss them before they are gone,_

_when their voice lingers in your ears._

_When their presence eases any pain._

_When their name sends chills down your spine._

_When they are the only thing you can think about._

_You know you are in love when you can see all their hopes and dreams and their soul when you look into their eyes._

_When they call you at four in the morning to say "I love you" and mean it._

_When your tears stain not only their shirt, but also their heart._

_When they are hurt just because of your tears,_

_when even a simple chore done with them can become a lasting memory._

_Ultimately, you know you are in love when you can't imagine living without them,_

_and can't figure out how you live before you knew them._

_When they fulfill every need and without them you are incomplete._

_The love of someone else completes the heart, and sound and mind._

_All at once._

_-anonymous._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> link to my other book : https://archiveofourown.org/works/24939994  
> or just got to my page :)


	40. Epilogue : How I Dealt With The Mess I Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> finale. enjoy y'all <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for sticking with me during this book, thank you for reading and leaving kudos/comments. i really appreciate it, this book has been so much fun to write besides it being so dark and depressing all the time, lol. hopefully you all will read my other work and be with me on my journey as i continue to write.

_A true epilogue is removed from the story in time or space._

_That's the reason it is called an 'Epilogue';_

_the label serves to alert the reader that the story itself is over,_

_but we are going to now see a distant result or consequence of that story._

_-Nancy Kress._

Six years have passed since the big drug bust in Long Beach, California in 2020. It was now 2026, the new and improved world took some and made them successful and others were made to work hard for their earned money. Some were showered with it. 

The sound of an alarm woke up both Levi and Eren Yeager one sunday morning. Both husbands were wrapped up in each others arms, Levi's head on Erens chest and Erens arms around the older male. Eren had woken up first since Levi had become such a deep sleeper over the years and groaned, reaching over and turning off the alarm. He settled back into the soft white blankets and stroked Levi's cheek, "Honey, it's time to wake up, it's nine."

It took a full minute of coaxing, but eventually those beautiful stormy grey eyes fluttered open. He rubbed his eyes and then looked up at Eren, a small smile on his lips. "Good morning, it's nine already?"

"Yeah I guess" Eren said with a smile, moving his grown out hair out of his face. "It's Sunday and we have to take up the kids, I have a session today so you'll be home with them."

"Making me a housewife, Yeager?"

Eren laughed, "shut up, Yeager"

When they got married, they decided to take Erens last name since Eren ended up being the one to propose straight after college. It was actually a week after the both of them graduated, Eren had prepared an entire scene for the proposal. 

He took Levi to a fancy restaurant and then they took some couple photos with a professional photographer, and then the both of them went on a walk during sunset. Eren had stopped them when they got to a certain spot, and he got on one knee and popped the big question.

_"Levi Ackerman, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?"_

_"I.. Oh fuck.. really? You.. I.. Oh my God, I think I'm going to shit myself."_

_"Come on baby, don't leave me hanging, especially not now."_

_"Fuck yes!"_

They went straight into planning the wedding after that, and the wedding was only after a year. Everything had to be planned around that though, that was the tricky part. With Levi teaching french courses at a college and Eren teaching math while doing photography on the side, it was hard. 

Levi continued his internship with Whittney Rambell throughout college, writing his own book in the process. It took him years, he even double majored in french while he was at it, but he finally did it. A year after they graduated college, two weeks after their wedding, Levi published his first book. 

It was called Everything Comes Back Around, and it was a fictional story rated for ages eighteen and older. It was about a fictional character with a hard childhood, overcoming everything with a partner who was there for them through everything. The book spoke about drug addiction and domestic abuse, and when it was published, because it was co-written by Whittney Rambell, ratings skyrocketed. 

Almost immediately, the book was put on the New York Best Sellers list and it changed their lives for the better. Levi changed his teaching job and went on book tours, eventually also becoming a spokes person for domestic violence and drug addiction. He spoke at conventions and attended therapy now as well, because he now had the money. 

Whenever Levi had a photoshoot, Eren would be the photographer because he got his degree in it right along with his Mathematics degree. He also handled all of the bills since he was really good with numbers. 

Speaking of bills, the both of them had a brand new house to support as of three years ago. Levi was the best seller, so the pay he got was more than enough for them to have a very nice house. After talking it over, they decided they wanted to buy a white mansion looking house with it's own pond in the back yard. The house and the yard were huge. Not to mention, they both bought themselves some new cars because they got another increase in money when Eren began doing professional photoshoots with celebrities. Levi bought himself a brand new corvette and Eren bought himself a new range rover. 

Then came another surprise, children. Months after they bought the house, they decided they wanted children and it was the best thing they could have done. The both of them went to the adoption agency and looked around at all the children, but three of the children stood out to them the most. 

While other kids were playing in the play area, there was two little boys and a baby girl. Levi had made his way over to them and asked them their names, the boys were named Remy and Grayson, and the little girls name was Casey. They talked for awhile, Levi asking when they arrived there and Remy told him they arrived this week after their parents were in a car accident. When he asked their ages, Remy said he was five, Grayson was four, and Casey was two. They were to be adopted together and not forced apart, as directed by the director. 

Eren had wanted to ask Levi to talk to some other kids, but once Casey kissed Levi's cheek he knew for a fact that it was over. These three kids won over his husbands heart, and when Levi gave him that pleading look while holding the little girl, he knew they had to adopt the three of them. He had went up to the desk and asked for the paperwork, and when the lady asked him if he was sure, Eren replied with a definite yes. 

After the paperwork was filed out and everything went through, Eren and Levi brought the three of them home. It took them a month to decorate the kids' rooms, but they did not care that the kids didn't sleep in them for the first night, they all slept in Levi and Erens master bedroom. They had given the tour to the kids the next day, and the kids loved the entire house, especially the small playground in the back yard Eren had bought. 

The brunette noticed that Casey was very attached to Levi from day one, clinging on his leg and not giving him any space. He asked Levi about it, and all the raven could say was that it was her seeking affection from a parent, how she's clingy because she was in the car with her parents when they died while Remy and Grayson were at home with their uncle. She had seen everything. Levi and Casey had developed a deep bond with each other, and eventually she started to mock the things like he did like say some words in french, say "tch", glare at Eren, or hold her cups a certain way. 

Eren thought it was cute, and nothing warmed his heart more than when his kids could call him papa. Daddy was reserved for Levi. The kids had all made that apparent when during their first week in their new home. Remy loved Eren, they were outside playing games a lot while Grayson liked staying inside and minding his business, reading his ABC books and learning numbers. Each kid had their own personality. 

Levi groaned, "I wanna sleep in, I'm so tired. I stayed up late last night writing and answering fan mail"

"Yeah well, that's your own fault" Eren rubbed Levi's back, "come on, let's shower, then we gotta wake the kids."

With little protest, Levi agreed and they both got out of bed. They walked into their bathroom that was connected to the master bedroom, undressing and getting in the shower. Levi's eyes raked over his husbands body, mouth watering the same way it used too when they were teenagers. 

Eren had changed over the years. He had gotten bulkier and grown another inch, making him a solid 6'3" and a half. He had grown his hair out down to his shoulders, normally he kept it in a bun. Eren had also gotten more ear piercings, along with a septum piercing and a couple chest tattoos. His style had changed to one that was very sophisticated, and every day he wore his wedding ring along with the necklace Levi got him for his nineteenth birthday. 

The tattoos that Eren had gotten were of their childrens names, and some other forms of art from shows he watched or sayings he loved. On his left arm was a sleeve of a dragon, and the other arms were the names of their three adopted children. He looked more of an adult that he did when he was nineteen, and he looked like he could crush you with his bare hands. 

While Eren helped Levi into the shower and washed his hair, he took time to think. Levi had changed plenty as well. Sadly, unlike Eren, Levi had not grown one bit. He stayed his regular five foot two inches, but he made it known to anyone who tried to cross him that he could take them down. That was something Eren admired about him still. 

Although he stayed the same height, he had filled out just like Eren. They had the same personal trainer and went to the gym as much as possible. Levi had decided he would wear his glasses every day, they were black framed and round at the edges. He had also gotten a couple tattoos in the past six years, but they were mainly to cover up the various scars he had earned when he was in his teenage years. He had began to let go of that stoic attitude he once possessed, being more free formed and happier with his life now that he goes to counseling. He kept the same undercut too, refusing to grow it out.

Levi leaned into Erens chest as the younger man washed his hair, humming in content. He loved mornings like this, where they could relax. That is why Sunday was his favorite day, the couple woke up together in the mornings. Eren just rinsed Levi's hair, enjoying their moment together.

One they finished from the shower, both of them got dressed in their clothes for today and walked out. Levi went downstairs to cook breakfast while Eren went into their childrens rooms. First was Remy, he walked into the seven year olds room and shook the childs shoulder. "Hey Remy, time to wake up. Daddy's downstairs making breakfast for you."

Remy had fluttered his eyes open, looking up and smiling. "Hi papa, good morning."

"Come on son, let's go"

After he got Remy out of bed, he went to Graysons room and did the same for the six year old. Grayson was harder to wake up in the morning, but he got both of the boys downstairs in a matter of no time. Next was Casey, she liked it better when Levi woke her up but she still loved her papa just as much.

"Hi papa" The four year old smiled, she had new teeth coming in. 

"Hello love, good morning. Daddy is downstairs making breakfast, wanna go eat?"

"Yes!"

And finally they were all downstairs gathered at the table, Levi had made a healthy breakfast for the five of them that morning. After they finished eating, Eren had went to check the mail. The driveway was a long walk and that was one thing he didn't like about the house, but with the way it was maintained, the house was beautiful. He grabbed the mail from the mail box, going through some regular fan mail and coming across an envelope that was for Levi. He walked inside and went over to the kitchen where Levi was now loading the dishwasher and cleaning the kitchen.

"Kids are upstairs getting dressed, I'm taking them to the water park." The raven said and fixed his glasses, looking up at Eren. "What do we have?"

Eren set the mail down on the counter, "some fan mail for you, but there's a letter too. It's from Arizona, I don't think we know anyone in Arizona, right?"

Levi shrugged and grabbed the letter, "No, I don't think so." he opened the envelope and took something out. A wedding invitation.

"None of our friends are getting married that we know of" Eren questioned, "Who's it from?"

"Uh" Levi opened the invitation and he read over it, eyes widening at who it was from. "Well I'll be damned."

"What?'

"It's from Isabel and Furlan" Levi said and showed Eren the invitation that was littered with pictures of the two of them, "It's at the end of July" his eyes raked the rest of the invitation, eyes widening at the request at the bottom. "And.. Furlan wants me to be his best man, and you as one of his groomsmen,"

"Huh?

Levi shoved the invitation at Eren so he could read it. 

_Hey guys! It's been awhile! I called your phones but it looks like you guys changed your numbers. No surprise, you both are famous now which is so crazy to think about. You both have come so far._

_Isabel and I are getting married at the end of July and I have a question for the both of you. Levi, will you be my best man and Eren, will you be one of my groomsmen?_

_Please, once you get this invitation, call us and let us know your answer._

_We hope to see you two in a couple months._

At the bottom was a phone number with an Arizona area code. This didn't seem real, both Eren and Levi haven't talked to those two in six years and all of a sudden they were invited to a wedding? And to play a part in the wedding? It made no sense, considering the importance of going their separate ways all those years ago.

Eren looked over at Levi, "So, are we going to go?"

"I don't have tour around that time" Levi said, "and I know you don't have sessions. The wedding is in four months, we would have to get the kiddos something formal as well."

"So that means we're going?"

Levi was already dialing the number left at the bottom. 

_

Four months passed and the Yeager family flew to Arizona for the wedding. They arrived to their hotel, unpacking their bags there and then they took a rental car, driving to the address that they were given to Furlan and Isabels home. The kids were nonstop talking the entire drive, excited to be in another state as they only have grown up in New York. Eren and Levi could only laugh and tell their kids they have been all over the United States before when they went on Levi's book tours together, way before they adopted children. 

Levi was driving the rental car while Eren entertained the kids, showing them different buildings through the windows and all the horses in the fields. They were all flabbergasted at the sites, also never seeing horses before. The kids loved animals, especially their dogs at home that one of their neighbors were currently watching. When they pulled up to the house, Levi shut off the car. 

The husbands unbuckled their children and they all exited the car, Levi held Casey in his arms and Eren held both Remy and Graysons hands as they walked up to the front door. Casey had her head tucked in Levi's neck, she hated meeting new people. She held a scowl on her face as Levi rang the door bell, the entire Yeager family silent as they waited for someone to answer the door. 

They could hear footsteps, and then the knob turned. Levi watched as the door opened and he was met by his best friend and his soon to be wife. They both stared at Levi with wide eyes, not knowing what to say. Levi didn't know what to say either, and neither did Eren. It had been so long since they've seen each other. With their circumstances, what the hell do they say?

Remy spoke up when everyone was silent, "Who are you?"

"These are daddy's and papas friends" Eren spoke up.

Furlan smiled at them, "Come on in guys, our home is yours as well."

The Yeager party walked into the two story home together, Casey clung to Levi while the boys clung to Eren. None of them were good with new people, not until they saw Eren or Levi act first. Levi looked around the living room and knelt down, putting Casey down and cooing when she clung to his pant leg. Levi kissed her head, "baby, let daddy say hi to his friends, okay?"

She eyes Furlan and Isabel with wary eyes, and then at Levi again. "'Kay daddy"

Levi smiled and ruffled her hair, standing back up and looking back at Isabel and Furlan. "I-"

Isabel cut Levi off with a squeal and ran into his arms, giving him a hug, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She clung to him, smiling when Levi hugged her back just as tight. He buried his face in her shoulder, melting into her embrace. It's been so long, and he missed the shit out of them. He thought about them all the time, and now he was finally here with them again.

Furlan wrapped both of his arms around Isabel and Levi, hugging them both. He rubbed both of their backs, "we missed you Levi, btu I do believe you have some cute little fellas to introduce us too?"

Levi pulled away from them with a smile on his face, he turned and held his hand out for Casey to take."This is Casey, she's our youngest. And the taller one next to Eren is Remy, he's the oldest, and the middle child is Grayson, he's the shorter one."

The three kids were still wary of the couple in front of them, despite the warm welcome they received. It was one of the traits they all got after watching Levi and Eren meeting new people, something both parents had tried to prevent. They only hoped they have not taken the habit of Levi's small violent tendencies, then it would become an issue. 

Not that the raven was a violent person, but sometimes when Eren scared him he still was a bit jittery and acted in self defense. That was something that would probably never stop happening, and something that both Levi and Eren had to accept. 

Furlan knelt down to the kids' eye levels and gave them a gentle smile, and Isabel did the same. She smiled at them, "You don't have to be shy you guys! How about this, we have a pretty nice back yard with a play set! You guys wanna see?"

The kids looked to Eren and Levi and the brunette just smiled, "Go with Isabel you three, Daddy and papa need to have a talk eith Furlan."

It was like nothing changed between the three friends. Eren observed them as they talked, Levi was wrestling around with Furlan while Isabel would try to get them to stop. Levi and Isabel acted just like brother and sister, Isabel teasing Levi about his glasses and Levi rolling his eyes and ruffling her hair. It was like everything changed but also stayed the same, they were just older. 

Isabel had shown the children the back yard and now they were all there. The adults were sitting on the deck while the children were playing with the two dogs Isabel and Furlan owned. Isabel and Levi had cooked dinner, and after they ate they all had some wine while they kids played around again. 

After awhile of talking, Remy had called Levi over to come play with them and who was he to refuse? He put his wine down and jumped off the desk, jogging over to his kids and joining them in a game of freeze tag. 

Eren just watched his husband and chuckled, sipping at his wine. Even though Levi complained about his age, the raven always had so much energy that he was always the one running around with the kids. 

Furlan seemed to notice this too, he looked over at Eren. "You and Levi seem really happy."

"We are" Eren agreed, chuckling when Levi pretended to fall when Grayson tackled him. "He's doing a lot better since the last time you saw him. He's improved a lot, physically and emotionally. I couldn't be more proud of him."

Isabel was drinking a glass of water while she watched them play. "It seems crazy that at one point we depended on him, and now we really don't need each other like we used too. Things really have changed, huh?"

Eren looked at her, "He refuses to go back to California for any reason. We've lived in New York since we've graduated."

"Oh?" Furlan asked, "why won't he go back?"

"Something about Jean being there and he wants to forget all about it" Eren answered, "I don't blame him, he's in counseling now for everything and I couldn't be more proud of him."

"I'm glad you two are happy" Furlan said, "you both deserve it, especially him."

"Yeah." Eren smiled. "He does."

_

The wedding went by smoothly, a lot of people showed up. Just as promised, Levi was the best man and it was one of Isabels dear friends that handed her off to Furlan. They read their vows to each other and when the time came, Furlan put the ring on her finger and kissed the bride. 

It was a night of pure love for each other. It reminded Eren and Levi of their wedding celebration, except unlike them, they didn't have a very drunk Hange dancing on some tables and a rebellious Sasha stealing the food. This wedding was calm and collected, very peaceful and enjoyable. 

The dinner afterwards was one of the best parts, the food was amazing and so was the cake. And when it came to the maid of honor and best man speeches, Levi was a nervous wreck. Even after all this time, he was still weird about speaking in front of a lot of people. Eren only laughed and forced Levi to stand once the maid of honor was finished talking, shushing their children when they called out for their daddy.

"I've known both Isabel and Furlan since I was fifteen, we grew up in Long Beach, California together." Levi began while holding the mic, looking around at everyone. "We haven't seen each other in years due to certain circumstances, but now we've reunited this past week and a plethora of things have changed between us. These two were in a bad spot last time I saw them, they went from having nothing to finding each other and making it here in Arizona. They've overcome so many things and I couldn't be more proud of them. 

When we were younger, there were times where I thought nothing would get better.The three of us all had one goal, it was to leave California and move on with out lives. And we did. It was a hard goodbye, after everything we went through. I don't know who took it harder, me or them, but I know for a fact it was one of the hardest things I ever had to accept. 

It leads me to this year, getting their wedding invitation and a spot for best man made me believe that no matter how long it has been, the best of friendships have the strongest bonds. We've all went through so much, and without going into much detail, I sacrificed a lot for them to be where they are at today. We sacrificed so much for each other's success, and I know for a fact that I would not be here without them. I was in a rough spot, and for the record, if it wasn't for them.. I wouldn't even be alive, standing here today. 

With that being said" Levi turned to look at his friends, who both had tears in their eyes. "I'm so happy you guys have fought for everything, and you have the life you guys have dreamed of. And I'm so happy you guys stuck with each other, and invited me to be with you here today to celebrate the coming together. I'm honored to be your guys' best friend, brother, and at one point : your partner in crime. I love the both of you, you're my family. Thank you." 

Isabel and Furlan both stood up and gave Levi a hug, Isabel crying silently into her friends shoulder. Levi just let out a wet chuckle and kissed her head, looking up at Furlan with wet eyes. Furlan hugged them both tight, smiling at the round of applause coming from the people they invited.

After their hug, Furlan grabbed the microphone from Levi and looked towards everyone. "Now that the emotional roller coaster is over, both Isabel and I have to make an announcement."

Everyone got quiet, listening to what Furlan had to say.

He smiled, "We've been trying for the past year to have a child, and after trying many times, it finally happened. Isabel and I are a month pregnant!"

Everyone's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets at the news, and Levi acted quickly, hugging Isabel. "Really? You're pregnant? Oh my god" he smiled, "Can I..?"

Isabel grabbed the mic and spoke into it, "We have one more announcement to make. It didn't take much thinking, but Furlan and I both decided this when we first found out. Levi, would you do us the honor of becoming our childs godfather?"

If it wasn't for Erens arm around his waist, Levi's knees would have given up. His hands shook, a godfather? Of someone elses child? He could handle his own children but.. someone elses?

"Baby" Eren spoke up, "give them an answer, come on."

Levi looked down at Eren and then back at his friends, stuttering when he spoke. "I-I.. uh.. "

"Come Levi, don't leave us hanging" Furlan laughed, "I don't think we've ever seen you speechless before!"

The raven gathered himself and broke out into a smile, nodding his head. "Yeah, of curse I will be. I'm honored."

From there, the celebration continued into the late evening. After Isabel and Furlan left to start their honeymoon, the Yeager family went back to their hotel. They were spending one more night in Arizona, and by the time they got back to the hotel every one of them fell asleep without changing out of their clothes except for Eren. The younger man tucked his three children in and went to his and Levi's shared bed, scooting next to his sleeping husband and holding him tight. He kissed the top of Levi's head and slowly shut his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

_

Eight months later after Levi had finished a book signing in North Dakota, he got a call saying that Isabel was in labor. And of course, he took the first plane down there to be there for her. The only people allowed in the room were Furlan and Levi, each of them holding one of Isabels hands while she pushed her baby out. When they heard a cry, Isabel broke down into tears when she heard it was a girl. Both her and Furlan had the perfect name picked out. 

Elaina Ramie Church, and boy, did she grow up to be a beautiful child. 

The Church family and the Yeagers kept in touch after Elaina was born, and every opportunity the raven had, he came to see them. There was one time where he paid for their flight to come to New York for a week. Elaina got along really well with Casey, Remy, and Grayson. Every time they saw each other, they would play in the back yard. 

Two years have passed since the birth of Isabel and Furlans daughter. Since then, Levi had published another book and went on book signing tours with Whittney Rambell as his editor. He brought in double the amount of money and Levi used it to buy Kenny a new house in the bahamas, his uncle practically shit himself when he saw the house but he accepted it. If it was from his nephew, he was more than happy. 

It was the forth of july, which only meant one thing. Time to party. Levi had invited Kenny and all of his friends, and Eren invited his family and friends to come to New York to celebrate with them. All of their friends and family came, it was a small get together but it was perfect for them. Furlan and Izzy were the first to show up, then the rest came.

When Hange arrived with Moblit, she embraced all of Levi's children in a mama bear hug. Him and Eren had asked Hange to be the godmother of all three of their children, and even though Hange had a son named Noah already, they graciously accepted the offer. Her and Levi didn't see each other much so when they did, they were attached to the hip the entire time just like they were before. 

Erwin and Armin showed up, Erwin was now a sheriff and was damn good at his job, he supported him and Armin with more than enough money. They had a daughter named Iris and they had gotten married only a month before Eren and Levi. Mikasa and Annie came along with their families too, and they had a daughter named Carla. Connie and Sasha came too, announcing that Sasha was pregnant and due at any time now. 

When the gang got back together, it was like nothing ever changed. They all partied, not like they used too in college, but like adults. All of their kids played together in the clean pond in the back yard or on the play ground, while the adults had some wine and sat on the large deck in the back yard and watched. 

Levi and Eren were cuddled up against each other, Levi and Eren were now twenty eight years old and more successful than they ever thought they would be. Levi was sitting on Erens lap, talking with Erwin and Hange about his recent published book and Eren had his arms wrapped around his lover, listening in on their conversation. 

"And you had it with that ending?!" Hange exclaimed, "you better be making this a series, Levi Yeager or I will kick your ass"

"Oh shut it shitty glasses, of course I am. But I can't say that now when I don't have a plot in mind, that book was on a whim" Levi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. 

Carla gushed, "Oh hun, you'll find an ending."

Levi beamed at his mother in law, "I don't doubt that, thanks mom."

Eren looked over at the kids playing and chuckled when he saw Kenny and Grisha down there, playing with their grand kids. For grandpas, they sure had a lot of energy. He looked around the table at his friends and family, taking the scene in. 

Right next to him was Mikasa and Annie, then Sasha and Connie, next was Erwin and Armin, after them was Isabel and Furlan, then was Hange and Moblit. His mother was sitting on the other side of him and Levi, whom only had one seat since Levi was sitting on Erens lap. Around them was Erens cousins and a lot of his family littered all over the yard. 

Levi was laughing at something that Sasha said when his phone vibrated, he grabbed his phone from his pocket and unlocked it. It was a notification from his news app and what he read caused his entire body to freeze. Eren had noticed and excused both him and Levi and they both went back inside the house. 

Eren closed the door behind them once they got to their bedroom and spun around, looking down at his husband. "Hey, what's up?"

"He.." Levi was speechless, he couldn't believe it. This couldn't be happening. An old habit of his rose up and he reached, gripped at his hair. 

When Eren noticed one of his husbands ticks, he leaped into action. He wrapped his hands around Levi's waist and pulled the raven in close, putting one of his hands on the back of Levi's head and the other on his mid back. "Come on love, what's wrong?"

Levi only lifted his phone and showed Eren the screen, and even the brunette was in a state of shock. 

_Breaking News_

_July 4th, 2028_

_Jean Kirstein, 33, has been murdered in prison by Austin Riplely, 57 in a murder suicide._

Eren read through the article and looked over at Levi, "wait.. Austin Riplely.. isn't that.."

"The man who my mom thought was my father.." Levi said softly, "Jean.. he's dead.. and so is my dad.."

"Holy shit" Eren didn't know how to take the news, how does someone-"

"Thank God" Levi breathed out a sigh of relief, "Finally. Now let's go downstairs and celebrate, I'll mix the drinks" he said, walking out of the room with a relaxed look on his face. 

Eren raised a brow, but then let out a laugh. He wouldn't expect anything else from his lover, but this changes things. 

They went back downstairs and spent the rest of their night with all of their friends. It went by peacefully, day turned to night and everybody spend the night in the Yeager mansion. And the next they, they all ended up going home. 

Eren was in charge of cleaning the house with the kiddos while the raven was up in his office, writing in his journal, or should he say, the final ending of his book, the authors note. 

_Now you all know my story. I went from an underground thug to an honorable family man and a famous author. This book explains all the steps that I took to get there. If it wasn't for my friends Isabel and Furlan Church, Hange Zoe, Erwin Smith, my uncle Kenny Ackerman, and most importantly, my loving husband, Eren Yeager, I would not be here today._

_I struggled with suicide and drugs in my teen years, not seeing a way out no matter which direction I went in. All around me were dark times, evil people and an abusive boyfriend who made me keep my mouth shut for years._

_This is my story, and I hope that all of you learn from my mistakes and live your lives to the fullest. I hope you all are successful and happy, I hope you all steer clear from the things that are a danger to you, and escape that horrible burden some of you carry on your strong shoulders._

_Live all your lives like you're mean too._

_And remember, everything comes back around._

_Much love,_

_Levi Yeager._

_fin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love you all, see you around -CJ


End file.
